


Way back When

by This_is_Riri



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, Heartbreak, Hybrid - Freeform, Hybrids, Interracial Relationship, Love, Vampires, Witches, protector - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 101,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_is_Riri/pseuds/This_is_Riri
Summary: "What makes you think I need a friend?" what she said made me curious."Because you're always alone, and no one deserves to be alone"DISCLAIMER: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or the Characters.





	1. Prologue

_**Bonnie’s POV** _

I lost my mom when I was three years old and after her death I made a promise to myself, I promised myself that I wouldn’t lose anyone else I love. It was such an easy promise to make, as if I could control how life works. I learnt the hard way that I didn’t, because no one does.

I looked up at my best friend who’s currently lying on a hospital bed and grab a hold of his hand. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here watching him, it must’ve been a few days because Elena came by a few times to keep me updated on what was going on, but I couldn’t think of all that right now so I just ignored her and stayed in this same chair watching him the way I am now “How did we get here?” I whispered to myself without taking my eyes off of him. This is the most peaceful I’ve ever seen him, even in his sleep his brain always seemed to be working, but right now he looked beautiful.

_“I know, I’m too pretty for my own good”_

A stray tear escaped from my eyes as I let myself think of him and I quickly wiped it away just as the doctor walked in “I got his test results back and if I didn’t see the shape he was in when you brought him in I wouldn’t think there was ever anything wrong with him. It’s truly a miracle” I heard the doctor say as he stood at the foot of the bed “Are you going to wait for him to wake up?”

I didn’t look at the doctor once, but kept looking at him. _He’s going to be just fine_ I kept repeating those words in my head, I knew this already of course, but I had to keep reminding myself that this time we made it, this time I got to see someone I love live another day. It finally hit me that the doctor asked me a question “No” I finally said because I won’t be able to handle having him look at me and not know who I am or what we are to each other and in that moment all I want to do is go back and keep him from getting hurt, but that’s my demon now. “I’m so sorry” I whispered before placing a kiss on the back of his hand and got up to leave just as the floodgates open and I finally let the tears I’ve been holding back fall from my eyes.

 


	2. The Return: Part 1

**_Bonnie's POV_ **

' _God only puts us through as much as we can handle, so the people who struggle the most, have been chosen by God to be the strongest'_

My grams used to tell me that whenever the dark days came, the days when I just wanted to give up. My name is Bonnie Bennett and I'm a 17 year old witch. In order for you to follow my story I have to go back to a year ago, when he came back.

**A year ago**

_**Stefan's POV** _

"This place looks exactly the same" I sighed as I stood on the roof of the Salvatore boarding house. I shouldn't have come home. I know the risk. But I had no choice. I jumped off the roof with a destination in mind.

**The Bennett Household**

I saw Bonnie head out of her house from down the street where I was parked. I've been back for three weeks now and everyday I've talked myself out of going to see her. I haven't seen her in five years and I missed my best friend.

_"You're leaving again, aren't you" she said as tears filled her eyes while gripping the door knob tighter. She didn't pose it as a question, she didn't have to because they both knew he was. I moved closer to her to give her a hug and was flooded with relief as she let me hold her._

_"I'm so sorry, Bonnie"._

_"It's okay I knew this day would come. I just thought I'd have more time with you this time" she said against my chest and I knew she was trying to be strong and hide her feeling, but she was scared of being alone again and if I was being completely honest so was I, but I had to leave._

_"You're gonna come back?" she asked the one question I was hoping to avoid and I couldn't answer her, but she already knew that she'd never see me again. "Oh" she pulled away from me, her dejected tone breaking my un-beating heart a little bit "Well um, have a nice life Stefan" she said trying to keep her voice from shaking and closed the door in my face._

I coulld still see the detached look on her face as she watched yet another person she loved leave her. I never wanted to leave, but I couldn't risk him ever finding out about her even though looking back now I know my efforts were for nothing.

I pulled out of the driveway and headed to Mystic falls high school, I didn't want to be late for my first day.

* * *

  
_**Bonnie's POV**_

I pulled out of Elena's house and start the trek to school. I still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me when I walked out of my house, but I kept telling myself it was probably nothing. My dad was out of town again so living by myself wasn't ideal. I stayed with my grams sometimes, but some of the things she said freaked me out a little so I'd stay with Elena too, or somewhere else, Lord knows she needs a friend right now. She lost her parents over the summer, car accident, which sucked because no one deserved to lose their parents so suddenly and at the same time, especially not someone as great as Elena.

"So Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, put this woman in a home already! But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands" I said trying to distract her from her misery, but her head was already elsewhere "Elena! Back in the car".

She snapped out of her trance then "I did it again, didn't I? I--I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that..."

"That I'm psychic now".

"Right. Okay, then predict something. About me" she said, neither of us really believed I'm psychic obviously, but I'm glad she's at least entertaining my craziness.

"I see-" I start but get cut off when a crow hits the car "What was that?! Oh, my gosh! Elena, are you okay?" I quickly hit the brakes and checked on my friend.

"It's okay. I'm fine" she tried to reassure me, but I could tell she was a little shaken up.

"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere".

"Really, I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life" she said and she was right, there were things in life we had to move on from. That applied to me too and for the first time in five years I entertained the idea of letting go of the past and moving on. I smiled at her as I started the car again, heading to school.

"I predict this year is going to be kick ass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and we are going to be beyond happy".

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High School**

_**General POV** _

Bonnie walked through the doors of the school with a new found determination, this was going to be a good year for her and her friends. Nothing would ever happened to them if she could help it.

"Major lack of male real estate. Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beech. She looks like a hot - can I still say 'tranny mess'?"

"No, that's over"

"Ahh, find a man, coin a phrase. It's a busy year" Bonnie said none of the things coming out of her mouth sounding like her, but this was what normal teenage girls talked about right? And that's what she was determined to be; a normal teenager.

She noticed Elena awkwardly wave at her ex only to be ignored and she couldn't help but feel bad for her "He hates me" she said slowly crawling back into her shell again, but Bonnie was already shaking her head "That's not hate. That's 'you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits'".

As soon as the words left her mouth Caroline approached them, enveloping Elena in a tight hug "Elena, oh my gosh" she said before drawing back to look at her "How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you" Caroline said sympathetically before turning to Bonnie without getting a response from Elena "How is she? Is she good?"

"Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you" Elena said convincingly, but Bonnie knew better.

"Really?"

"Yes. Much better".

"Oh, you poor thing" Caroline said giving her another hug.

"Okay, Caroline"

"Oh! Okay" she said pulling away "See you guys later?"

"Okay! Bye!" Bonnie said waving her goodbye.

"No comment" Elena said giving her a 'Not a word' look, which made Bonnie smile and lift her hands in surrender "I'm not going to say anything"

* * *

 

Stefan walked into the administrations office to get his schedule. He hadn't planned on going back to high school, but he knew it was the only place Bonnie couldn't avoid him in case she was still mad about him leaving the way he did also it would be easier for him to keep her safe if he was close by.

He was busy speaking to the secretary about his transcripts when he heard a familiar voice just outside the office "Hold up. Who's this?" he heard her say and another voice responded, oddly enough it sounded familiar too, but he couldn't place it "All I see is back".

"It's a hot back" he smiled at the comment, but he's quickly drawn back to the conversation with the secretary. "Your records are incomplete. You're missing immunization records, and we do insist on transcripts".

"Please look again. I'm sure everything you need is there" Stefan said, compelling the secretary.

"Well, you're right. So it is".

Outside the office Bonnie continued to stare at the guy's back, something about him kept nagging at her but she ignored it "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar".

"You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?"

"Pretty much".

"Jeremy, good batch, man" they heard someone say and Elena was immediately on big sister mode "I'll be right back" she said and left Bonnie alone to keep staring at the guy in the office.

"Please be hot" Bonnie whispered to herself, pleading to God to grant her this favor.

"Thank you" she heard the guy say to the secretary before he turned to leave. Their eyes connected the moment he turned around, shock clear in her features as she looked into the eyes of the person she used to call her best friend. They stood there for a good minute just looking at each other before Bonnie finally got over her initial shock "Stefan" she whispered in a barely audible tone, but he heard her loud and clear.

"Hello, Bonnie" he said giving her a hopeful smile which she didn't return, instead she just turned around and walked away from him.

 


	3. The Return: Part 2

**_Stefan's POV_ **

I chased her down before she could get far and grabbed ahold of her arm so she’d stop, but clearly that was a mistake judging by the death glare she was giving me right now so I let go of her arm. “What are you doing here? I wasn't ever supposed to see you again so why are you here?” she said in a harsh tone which let me know that she was still pissed about how I just left her.

“I moved back. I missed you, Bonnie so I came back” I said being partially honest with her.

“I don't believe you”

“Bonnie, please hear me out. I-”

  
“I don't believe you” she said again, cutting me off “And since you're not going to be honest with me, leave me alone” she said putting more emphasis on the last part and walked away from me again, but I knew better than to follow her this time.

* * *

_**Bonnie's POV** _

_He can't be here_ those words kept repeating themselves in my head over and over again as I sat in history class trying to concentrate on what Mr. Tanner was saying.

“The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?” I heard him call my name and I knew I was screwed, he could probably tell I wasn't paying attention.

“Um...a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot”.

“Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett” leave it to Mr. Tanner to make me feel only an inch tall, but luckily he left me alone after that “Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?”

“It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it” Matt responded, but I didn’t turn around to look at him because if I did then I'd see _him_ sitting in the very next row.

“Hmm. Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?” Mr. Tanner continued his attempt to make us look like idiots.

“I'm sorry, I--I don't know.” Elena said quietly, she was still fragile and Tanner is a jerk for singling her out like that.

“I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. But the personal excuses ended with summer break” he said in a cold tone and I was about to say something I'd probably regret later, but someone else beat me to it.

“There were 346 casualties. Unless you're counting local civilians” Stefan said and yet again I tried to resist the urge to turn around, but I failed and turned just in time to see the satisfied smirk on his stupid face which was too pretty for its own good. I quickly turned to the front again when he caught me looking at him and cursed myself for looking in the first place.

“That's correct. Mister...?”

“Salvatore”

“Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?”

“Distant”

“Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle” Mr. Tanner said, his voice sounding distant again as I started thinking about Stefan's uncle Zach, he was the only family he had left, that I know of anyway. In case you haven't noticed I don't trust him anymore, the weeks before he left he always seemed to be watching his back, almost as if something or someone was chasing him and after he left the only connection I had to him was his Uncle Zach who I'd visit, especially on the days I missed Stefan the most. No one knew about that though except for uncle Zach.

“Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner” Stefan said drawing me out of my thoughts as the class chuckled and I had to physically keep myself from rolling my eyes, _cocky idiot._

“Hmm” is all Mr. Tanner said in response.

* * *

_**Stefan's POV** _

I watched as Bonnie sprinted out of class once the bell rang and sighed heavily because I thought I could try and talk to her again. When she looked at me in class I let myself hope that maybe she'd at least let me explain and make things right between us. Bonnie and I used to always have stupid fights while she was growing up and she'd get so mad at me, but it was never like this. I really hurt her this time.

_“You can't stay mad at me forever” I said kneeling before her while she sat on the couch at the boarding house. She's been giving me the silent treatment for five straight hours now and I wondered why she didn't just go home if she didn't want to talk to me._

_“Watch me” she finally spoke up and I couldn't help the grin that crept onto my lips “she speaks” I said only to get the death glare in return, which, for a five year old, was actually pretty frightening._

_“You're being petty” I tried again, which in retrospect, I knew was the wrong thing to say, but she shot back anyway “and you're a cheater” she said referring to the video game we'd been playing before. I beat her at football three times in a row before she finally caught me._

_“Okay, you're right, but if you didn't want to talk to me then why didn't you just go home?”_

_“Because I wanted to give you a chance to make it right” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

“You gotta give me a chance to make it right, B” I whispered to myself as I looked at her now vacant seat before the Katherine look-alike got my attention when she got up from her seat with a worried look on her face and walked out the door.

I first saw her with Bonnie three weeks ago. At first I thought she was Katherine until I found out she was human. The more I saw her with Bonnie the more I realised she wasn't Katherine at all, she was sweet and kind and human, even though she had this sadness around her from her parents' death and it was messing with my mind to see a girl with the same face as the girl I once fell for.

I don't know what possessed me to follow her, but I did and ended up at the cemetery watching her write in her diary “Okay. Hi, bird. That's not creepy or anything. Shoo!” I heard her say to a crow which sat on one of the gravestones and the bird flew away.  
The crow reappeared and fog started to ascend around the cemetery. Something must of freaked her out because I saw her suddenly take off running. I ran to get closer to her when I saw her trip and fall “You okay?” I asked her as she got up and looked at me.

“Were you following me?”

“No, I-a, uh, I-a just — I saw you fall” I said because it's true, even though the only reason I saw her fall in the first place was because I was following me, but she didn't need to know that.

“Uh-huh, and you just happened to be hanging out in a cemetery” she said skeptically, she clearly didn't believe him.

“I'm visiting. I have family here” I easily lied _Bonnie would've seen right through that_ the thought comes before I could stop it, but I don't dwell on it though.

“Oh. Wow. Tactless. I'm sorry. It's the fog, It's making me foggy. And then back there, there was this - this bird, and it was all very Hitchcock for a second. That is the bird movie, right, the Hitchcock?...I'm Elena” she rambled with a smile I couldn't help but return and extended her hand for me to take.

“I'm Stefan”.

“ I know. We have History together”.

“And English and French” _that's not creepy at all._

“Right” she said blushing a little bit, it was cute and I noticed a leaf in her hair so I quickly pulled it out without thinking.

“Thanks…Nice ring” she said looking at the ring on my finger.

“Oh. Um, It's a family ring, yeah. I'm kinda stuck with it. It's weird, huh?”

“No, no. It's just, I mean, there are rings and then there's that” I barely heard her say as I caught the scent of blood “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Oh, uh, I don't  know” she said sounding confused for a brief moment before she pulled up her pant leg and saw a cut gushing blood. “Oh! Would you look at that. That is not pretty”.

_Crap_ I quickly turn around as my face changes “You should go. Take care of that” I said as my eyes start to change as well and I quickly make a break for it while she inspected her bleeding knee.  


* * *

**Mystic Grill**

_**Bonnie's POV** _

I could just kill Caroline right now. She wouldn't shut up about Stefan and all I wanted to do is shove a sock down her throat to keep her from talking about him. Ugh! This is just like Stefan to show up unannounced just when I decide to move on from my past.

I bolted right after class just to avoid him and briefly considered going to see Uncle Zach, but decided against it. I couldn't risk bumping into him at the boarding house, I wasn't ready to talk to him, I'm still not and listening to Caroline go on and on and on about him wasn't helping the situation.

“His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up at the old Salvatore Boarding House. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue” she said, making me think about how I've never actually seen him as a kid and yet we were around the same age. In fact, Stefan still looked the same as he did when I was five.

“You got all of that in one day?” I said not really paying attention, my mind getting fixated on this new revelation.

“Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding”.

I rolled my eyes at her as Matt approached our table and I couldn't help but count my lucky stars for Matt “Hey, Matt”.

“Hey guys. Um Bonnie, can I speak to you for a minute?” he asked and I turned to look at Caroline.

“Fine I'll let you two talk. See you, Matt” she said and walked towards the ladies’ room. Matt took Caroline's seat “How's Elena doing?”

“Her mom and dad died. How do you think? She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months”.

“Has she said anything about me?” _Is he serious right now?_

“Oh, no. So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her”.

“I feel weird calling her. She broke up with me” he said in such a sad voice that I couldn't help, but feel sorry for him. Elena must've really messed him up.

“Give it more time, Matt” I said, but he seemed distracted so I turned to see what he was looking at and I saw Elena walk into the grill with Stefan _Just my luck._

Matt’s voice draws my attention again “More time, huh?”. He left the table before I could respond and went to introduce himself to Stefan. This was my chance to get away undetected, but as I was about to walk out the door I heard Elena call my name, stopping me in my tracks.

I take a deep breath before turning around only to find Stefan watching me.

“Where are you going?” she asked in a confused tone, which made sense because we agreed to meet up here.  
I walked closer to them as I tried to come up with a logical explanation as to why I had to leave right then, but I never got the chance to because Stefan decided to open his big mouth.

“Hello, Bonnie” _Damn you, Salvatore._

“Stefan” is all I say, avoiding eye contact.

“Bonnie you didn't tell me you knew Stefan” Caroline said from behind me. _Where did she come from?_

“Bonnie and I go way back” _SHUT UP!_ My brain was screaming as everyone's eyes turned to me, but I couldn't  handle this right now.

“I have to go” I said heading for the door again and just as I made it outside I felt a hand on my arm stopping my movement “Bonnie” Stefan said and I turned around, removing my arm from his grasp “ I told you to leave me alone”.

“You have to let me make things right. You're my best friend, B”.

“No, I'm not!” I snapped at him “Best friends tell each other everything, Best friends don't lie to each other. You were my Best friend, but I was never yours. I told you everything and I feel like I don't know anything about you” I yelled trying to keep my tears at bay. I wasn't about to cry in front of him. “I asked you not to leave and you lied to my face”.

“I didn't lie to you, Bonnie, but I didn't have a choi-”

“There's always a choice! You made yours, and now I'm making mine” I said caimly and turned to walk away, but the sound of his voice gave me pause.

“I'm not gonna stop. I don't care how many times I have to watch you walk away from me. I'm not going to stop trying to make things right” she took a shaky breath as a tear fell down her cheek and continued walking to my car without turning back.

 

 

 


	4. The Return: Part 3

**Salvatore Boarding House**

_**Stefan's POV** _

I couldn't bring myself to go back into the grill after what happened with Bonnie so I just went home, I did feel bad for just leaving Elena like that though especially after she invited me to go there with her after I returned her diary. The moment I walk through the door Zach thrusts a newspaper article at me "You promised".

I look at the newspaper article with a confused look on my face "This was an animal attack" I said not really getting where he was going with this.

"Don't give me that. I know the game. You tear them up enough, they always suspect an animal attack. You said you had it under control".

"And I do".

"Please, Uncle Stefan. Mystic Falls is a different place now. It's been quiet for years, but there are people who still remember. And you being here, it's just going to stir things up".

"It's not my intention".

"Then what is? Why did you come back?

"You know why" he was starting to get on my last nerve.

"Yes, you said you came back to protect Bonnie, but for the first three weeks you've been back you didn't even tell her and now suddenly you're going to her school? What is your plan exactly?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you".

"You do, because while you've been gone I've been the one to help keep her together" _This is news_.

"What do you mean?"

"She's been coming here, to talk and sometimes, when things were really bad she'd sleepover in your room". I took in what Zach just said to me and for the first time since I've been back I started to regret ever leaving in the first place.

* * *

**The Woods**

I walked through the woods looking for Bonnie, I meant it when I said I wasn't going to stop until she forgave me and I had nothing to lose, she already hated me anyway. There was a party at the falls; a back to school type thing. I overheard Caroline convince Bonnie and Elena into coming.

"I can't talk about it, Elena" I picked up on Bonnie's voice with my enhanced hearing and was about to head over there when I was intercepted by a head of blonde hair.

"Hey! You made it!" Caroline said in her always so optimistic voice.

"I did".

"Well let's get you a drink"

"Well I'm-"

"Oh, come on" I didn't have the patience for this I had a best friend to find.

"When you're ready I'm right here for you Bonnie"

"Thanks, Lena"

"Have you been down to the falls yet? Because they are really cool at night. And I can show you...if you want" Caroline drew me back from eavesdropping on Bonnie and Elena.

"I think you've had too much to drink".

"Well, of course I have. So-"

"Caroline. You and me, it's not gonna happen. Sorry" I tell her truthfully, I don't mean to hurt her feelings, but I really have to talk to Bonnie. I walked away from Caroline and saw Bonnie pull her hand away from Elena as if she's been burnt "what?" I heard Elena ask.

"That was weird, when I touched you I saw a crow". _Oh no._

"what?"

"A crow. There was fog, a man. I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill". _This can't be happening._

"Okay? Bonnie!" Elena was about to go after her, but got distracted by her drunk brother "oh, Jeremy" she whines before choosing to go check on him.

I looked at her briefly before going after Bonnie "Bonnie" I called out to her.

"Leave me alone, Stefan" she said not even turning around, but I ignored her "What did you see?" I asked and that seemed to peak her interest and she turned around as I got closer to her. She had an annoyed expression on her face "So you're stalking me now" she said in a bored tone, crossing her arms over her chest and I guess I should have thought about what I said before I said, but it was too late now.

"Well you won't talk to me so what else am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to leave me alone"

"Just tell me what you saw".

"I'm not telling you anything, Stef-"

"Damn it Bonnie, just tell me" I said losing my patience, but she just looked at me and didn't say a word.

I was about to say something else when a blood curdling scream rang in my ears. "Somebody help!" _That's Elena's voice._

Bonnie took off towards all the commotion while I ran after her "Vicky? Vicky, what the hell?" Matt said freaking out over his sister.

"What happened to her?" one of the jocks in our class asked, Tyler I think his name was.

"Somebody, call an ambulance" Matt said clutching at his sister.

"It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood" Elena said and that caught my attention _Another animal attack?!._

"Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me" I heard Matt say, but I couldn't focus on that right now. If something was out here hurting people then I had to take Bonnie home. I turn to Bonnie who has gone as pale as a ghost and hasn't said a word since she ran up to see what was going on, her eyes trained on the unconscious girl in her brother's arms.

"Bonnie" I said grabbing her shoulder to gain her attention " Bonnie let me take you home" I said once she turned to me. It seemed to take her a minute to understand what I was saying before she moved her shoulder away from my hand "I'm not going anywhere with you Stefan" she said and then walked towards Elena as the ambulance came and took Vicki away.

"Elena, there's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling..."

"Bonnie, what?"

"That it's just the beginning" Elena's eyes snapped to me then and I looked at her briefly before looking down at my best friend.

Elena looked behind her briefly before giving Bonnie a worried look "I have to take Jeremy home, but..." she stopped seeming to contemplate something "Stefan could you take her home?"

"Yeah, come on Bon" I said wrapping my arms around her shoulders and leading her to my car, she didn't fight me this time. She didn't seem to have the strength to.

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House**

After dropping Bonnie off I headed back to the boarding house to talk to Zach. I see him the moment I burst through the door. "What's going on?"

"Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me" I said and walked passed him to get to my room. The moment I walked in a crow appeared on the windowsill and there's a man standing on the balcony, I'd know him anywhere "Damon".

"Hello, brother".

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Wait till you see what I can do with the fog" he said with his infamous smirk which still annoyed me to this day, but I don't have time to be annoyed with him right now. I need to figure out if he knows about Bonnie. "When'd you get here?"

"Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school. Your hair's different. I like it"

"It's been 15 years, Damon". He's the reason I left the first time. Bonnie was five years old back then and my source told me that Damon found me so I had to leave so he wouldn't find out about the promise I made to Emily.

"Thank goodness. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not suit you. Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads" he made it sound like he was reprimanding me and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"Why are you here?"

"I miss my little brother". _That's a lie._

"You hate small towns. It's boring. There's nothing for you to do".

"I've managed to keep myself busy". Of course he's the one behind the animal attacks, he was always reckless.

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you".

"Ah. That can be a problem...for you".

"Why are you here now?" I kept trying to push him for an answer.

"I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up all into one little word...Elena". And just like that I felt relief flood over me, he didn't know about Bonnie and after all these years he was still obsessed with Katherine even though she used us, but Elena was not Katherine.

"She took my breath away. Elena. She's a dead ringer for Katherine. Is it working, Stefan? Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive?" he continued to speak, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"She's not Katherine".

"Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended. Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?" he said walking closer to me, but I refused to be intimidated by him.

" I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work".

"Yeah? Come on. Don't you crave a little?" he said slapping me in the face while I stood there and took it. Fighting with Damon would be a bad idea, I'd lose, and we both knew it. "Stop it".

"Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple girls out there. Or just, let's just cut to the chase, let's just go straight for Elena" he continued to taunt me, pissing me off a little bit.

"You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die" I said louder than I intended, but it didn't seem to faze him because he just shrugged "That's a given".

"Not here. I won't allow it".

"I take that as an invitation".

"Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?" This feud between us was really messing up my life, I couldn't live like a normal person because of it and it's kept me from my best friend. I'm over it now.

"I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word" _but clearly he's not._

"Where's your ring?" he asked suddenly, making me look down at the finger where its supposed to be. _When did he?_ "Oh, yeah, sun's coming up in a couple of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes" My brother really knew how to make me squirm "Relax. It's right here" He said before tossing the ring at my feet and heading for the door.

"Stay out of my way, Stefan" he called out before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

**Hospital**

_**General POV** _

Matt was sitting next to Vicki's hospital bed when she slowly woke up and he finally let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw her open her eyes.

"Vicki...Hey. Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be okay" he said holding onto her hand.

"Matt-"

"Hey, don't try to talk, okay? You're fine" he said cutting her off as she tried to speak, but she had to tell him, he had to know, so she too a deep breath and tried again.

"Vampire".

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House/Bennett household**

_**Stefan's POV** _

_I had a plan. I wanted to change who I was;to be able to protect the people I love without my past haunting me. But it's not that easy. The bad things stay with you. They follow you. You can't escape them, as much as you want to._

I closed my journal and headed to the Bennett household only to find all the lights turned off. I climbed my usual tree and saw her sleeping through her window and let out a sigh of relief that she's okay. I decided to stay there for a few hours to watch her sleep, her heartbeat soothing me as I let my mind wander.

_"I'm so sorry for your loss" I said from behind her and the little girl with the big green eyes which were filled with tears looked up at me with a hesitant expression "who are you?"_

_"My name is Stefan, I'm a family friend" I said handing her a tissue._

_"I've seen you around, always by yourself. Were you friends with my mom?" she asked as she blew her little nose with the tissue and I nodded my head._

_"I was uh...supposed to protect her" I said hesitantly, not able to meet her eyes._

_"You can't protect everyone" she said, turning back to look at her mother's gravestone._

_"I can try though, I'll try to protect you Bonnie, I made a promise to your family"._

_"I don't need protection, I just need a friend, and so do you" she responded, wiping her tears away as they escaped from her eyes._

_"What makes you think I need a friend?" what she said made me curious._

_"Because you're always alone, and no one deserves to be alone"_

 


	5. I'll Tell You What I Am

**Mystic Falls High School**

_**Stefan's POV** _

I should've gone to check on her before I came to school because now she's late and it's starting to worry me. When I left her house last night she was fine, she was sleeping so why wasn't she here yet. 

“Originally discovered nearly 5 centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration. Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Am I keeping you from your one man staring contest with Miss Bennett's seat?"

I was about to respond when the door burst open and a flustered Bonnie walked in just as the bell rang. She kept her head down as she walked up to Tanner's desk to take what I assumed was a detention slip. She walked out with Caroline and the rest of the students without even glancing in my direction and I sighed as I got out of my seat. _At least she's safe._

I was about to go talk to her when Elena walked up to me “Hey, Stefan. Can I talk to you for a second?” she said and led us out of the classroom.

“What can I do for you, Elena?” I asked. She looked nice today, happier even, like she didn't have that dark cloud over her anymore, but she also seemed nervous.

“I wanted to ask you about Bonnie, I know it's probably none of my business but she's my friend and whatever happened between you two is affecting her” she said, I couldn't speak for Bonnie because she wasn't here, but she seemed really worried about her friend and I wanted to take away some of that worry. It made me happy that even after everything that happened that she at least had Elena.

“Bonnie and I have been best friends since we were three. We always depended on each other, had each other’s backs, but then I left her and that's my biggest regret”.

“Why'd you leave? You don't have to answer that by the way” she added as soon as she asked that question.

“…grams woke me up. She came to check on me this morning since I didn't go to see her yesterday. She said she had a bad feeling about something” I heard Bonnie say, she was trying to make light of it, but I could tell she wasn't so sure anymore.

“Ah grams, did she bring up the whole psychic thing again? Wait, I'm confused actually. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?” Caroline asked Bonnie and I barely noticed Elena turn her head to see what caught my attention suddenly.

“Technically, Grams says I'm a witch. My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on the liquor so I kinda tuned out. Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so”

“Do you do that a lot?” Elena asked me, her eyes searching my face for something. She clarified when she saw confused look on my face “Just watch her, I mean”.

“I'm just trying to figure out how to get my best friend back” I replied and she nodded as if she was thinking about something. “Piece of advice?” she asked and I gave her my undivided attention again “Don't lie to her. Bonnie doesn't take to well to lies, and she'll know if you are”.

“Thank you, Elena” I said sincerely even though I already knew that, I was just trying to avoid telling her anything, but maybe it was time for the truth to come out. I just hope she doesn’t completely hate me afterwards.

“No problem” she said before leaving to go join her friends. “Why didn't you just go talk to him?” I heard Bonnie ask Caroline as Elena approached them.

“I don't know. I was drunk”.

_I'll talk to you later, B_ I decided as I left the school. Right now I had to go fix my brother's mess. 

* * *

**Hospital**

**_General POV_ **

Matt was in the hospital room waiting for Vicki to wake up when she started tossing around restlessly “Whoa! Vick. Vicki, hey. Vick, it's Matt. Hey, what's wrong?”

“No! No! Get off! No! No! No!”

“Nurse!” Matt called out before getting up to go look for a doctor. Stefan saw him walk out the room and made his way inside before he got caught so he'd compel Vicki “It was an animal that attacked you. It came out of the night and jumped you. You blacked out. It's all you remember” he said maintaining eye contact with her.

“It's all I remember” Vicki replied mechanically.

“An animal attacked you. You blacked out. It's all you remember”.

“It's all I remember”. Satisfied, Stefan quickly left.

“Nurse! I need help! It's my sister” Matt said as the nurse walked into the room ahead of him and he spotted Stefan leaving.

“She seems fine” he heard the nurse say and nodded absentmindedly before deciding to follow Stefan. He saw him enter a room with blood donors and blood bags. Stefan's face started to change, but he left as quickly as possible. When Matt entered the same room he looked for Stefan but didn’t find him. 

* * *

**The Bennett Household**

_**Bonnie's POV** _

I am so late, I promised Elena and Caroline I'd meet them at the grill half an hour ago. “Baby, there's someone at the door for you” Grams called out and I sighed in frustration, I didn't have time for guests I had to go “Coming” I responded heading downstairs.

“How have you been, Stefan?”  My eyes went as wide as saucers when I heard my grams ask the last person I wanted to see right now. I was about to go hide in my room when “Hello, Bonnie” _damn it._

I took a deep breath and turned back around to face him “I don't have time for your next attempt at let's be friends, Stefan, I gotta go meet my _real_ friends” I said putting an emphasis on the word _real_ before I walked past him to get to the door.

“Bonnie Sheila Bennett don't be rude. Now you come back here and talk to this boy” Grams reprimanded me, did I mention she loved Stefan? You'd swear he was her grandchild. I turned around slowly because I knew better than to defy my grams.

“What do you want, Stefan?” I asked giving him my most annoyed face, which made him wipe that smug look off his face.

“I want the same thing I want every day, Bonnie. For us to be friends again” I groaned loudly at that and tried to leave, but what he said next stopped me in my tracks.

“The other night you said you felt like you didn't know anything about me and I guess in some ways that's true. I haven't been completely honest with you about what I am and I want to be now” he said and I turned around slowly, curious about where he was going with this.

For the first time since he came to my house I took a good look at him, he seemed nervous, scared even, as if what he said next would make or break our relationship. “145 years ago I made a promise to Emily Bennett that I would protect her line, I haven't always been successful, but it's a promise I don't intend to break which is why I had to make hard decisions sometimes”.

I didn't understand what he was saying “145 years ago” I whispered to myself, it was barely audible but he responded anyway “Yes. I'm a vampire, Bonnie”.

“Vampires don't exist” I responded immediately, as a reflex. He can't be a vampire, can he?

“Yes they do” he said and made me jump a little because in the blink of an eye he was right in front of me. “Don't freak out okay? He said and his face changed, his eyes went blood red and black veins appeared on his face before his went back to normal.

“You're a vampire” I said slowly trying to get used to it. A thought hit me which scared me to my core “Are you responsible for all those animal attacks? Oh my Gosh, Stefan did you attack Vicki?” I asked kinda frantic, creating some space between us.

“No no, that wasn't me. I only feed on animals to survive, that was Damon, my brother” _brother!_ I was trying to wrap my head around that, but he was talking again “He's the reason I left five years ago. Damon has been making my life miserable for over a century and if he found out about you I’m afraid he'll kill you just to hurt me and I can't let that happened, Bonnie so when my source told me he knew where I was, I left”.

This was way too much information for me to absorb at once, it freaked me out, but it made sense. Stefan didn't age and now that I think about it I don't think I've ever heard his heartbeat. “You said you made a promise to protect Emily Bennett's line, I know that means the Bennett family, right?” when he nods I continue “but what do we need protection from?”

“It's not my place to tell you that. Just know that you're important” he said and I rolled my eyes him, of course, more secrets. I was hit by another realization which broke my heart “So you were only my friend because it was your job” he opened his mouth to say something, but grams beat him to it.

“Baby, the protector of the Bennett line is only required to keep an eye on us and check in once in a while, but Stefan stayed with you, that isn't in the job description”.

I looked at my grams for a while before turning back to Stefan who was looking at me with pleading eyes. I had more questions of course, but this was a step in the right direction.

“Okay, Salvatore. I believe you” I said and he smiled at me with that smile that made my heart melt. I missed that smile. “I'm headed to the grill to meet up with Elena and Caroline, do you want to come with?”

“Um I should probably go home and make sure Damon stays out of trouble, but I'll meet you later”.

I nodded in agreement, if his brother was feeding on humans then that was probably best. He pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my waist and I hugged him back, “I missed you, B” he whispered in my ear, making me smile.

“I missed you too, Salvatore” I said and he pulled back and said a quick goodbye to grams, who was giving us a weird look, before he walked out the door.

“What is it, Grams?”

“Oh nothing, nothing at all. You go meet up with your friends” _oh yeah I'm late._  
 ****

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House**

_**Elena's POV** _

I was standing outside the Salvatore Boarding house debating whether or not to actually go in. This was all Bonnie's fault, if she'd shown up at the grill on time then I wouldn't have let Caroline talk me into doing this. I told her about my little crush on Stefan, but that I wasn't sure I should do anything because of Bonnie. I was still unsure about their relationship, Stefan said they used to be best friends and he really seems to care about her, but what if there was something more there.

I shook my head at the thought. Caroline, she's the reason I'm here, she seemed to think that Stefan may be interested in me and said there's only one way to find out for sure, which is true I guess but that didn't help with my nerves as I made the decision to knock on the door. I started to knock on the door when it opened so I walked in “Stefan? Stefan?” I called out for him, but there’s no response. _This house is massive._

A crow flies right past me then and into the house and when I turned around I saw a man I’ve never seen before standing there. “You must be Elena. I’m Damon, Stefan’s brother” the man, Damon, introduced himself. I tried to contain my excitement over the fact that apparently Stefan talked to his family about me.

“Oh yeah, that’s me, I’m sorry for just walking in here, the door was open” I said feeling a little embarrassed about just barging into someone’s house, but he waved a dismissive hand “Stefan didn’t tell me he had a brother” _We just met, why would he?_ I resisted the urge to face palm myself.

“Well, Stefan’s not one to brag. Please, come. I’m sure Stefan will be along any second” he said leading me into another room.

“Wow. This is your living room?”

“Living room, parlor, Sotheby’s auction. It’s a little kitschy for my taste” he turned to face me then, the look he was giving me making me a little uneasy “I see why my brother’s so smitten. It’s about time. For a while there, I never thought he’d get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him”.

What he said about Stefan liking me made me so giddy that I almost didn’t hear the last comment he made “The last one?” my heart sank a little bit.   
“Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend? Oh, you two haven’t had the awkward exes conversation yet”.

“Nope” I said feeling awkward and slowly regretting ever listening to Caroline.

“Oops. Well I’m sure it’ll come up now. Or maybe he didn’t want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end” he said, making me feel uncomfortable again. There something off-putting about Damon.

“You say it like every relationship is doomed to end”.

“I’m a fatalist. Hello, Stefan” he said, looking behind me. I turned around in time to catch the death stare Stefan was giving his brother before his face softened as he looked down at me “Elena. I didn’t know you were coming over” he said that like he meant to say something else, but stopped himself.

“I know. I should have called, I just…”

“Oh, don’t be silly. You’re welcome any time. Isn’t she, Stefan?” he said, and man you could cut the tension in here with a steak knife “You know, I should break out the family photo album or some home movies. But…I have to warn you. He wasn’t always such a looker” Damon smirked, winking at me and that unnerved me a little bit.

“Thank you for stopping by, Elena. Nice to see you” Stefan said catching my attention again and at this point I was grateful for the lifeline being tossed at me.

“Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Damon” _It really wasn’t._

“Great meeting you too, Elena”.    
I couldn’t get past Stefan, who was blocking my way as he stared at Damon “Stefan…Stefan?” He finally moved and I hurried out the door without turning back. 

* * *

_**Stefan’s POV** _

“Great gal. Whoo. She’s got spunk. You, on the other hand, look pooped. Did you over-exert yourself today? Let me guess…hospital” Damon said the moment the door closed and I had to work hard to reign in my anger. What the hell was Elena doing here, she was supposed to be at the grill with Bonnie.

“Someone had to clean up your mess” I said annoyed, and I was having such a great day.

“Well, were you successful? Did the powers of persuasion work? Remember, if you don’t feed properly, none of those little tricks work right” He said sounding like a puppet in one of those educational programs.

“How long was Elena here?” she probably got tired of waiting for Bonnie and left, but why did she come here?

“Were you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be doomed to repeat the past? Isn’t that why you play your little game ‘I’m a high school human’?”

“I’m not playing any game” I’m not gonna lie and say I’m not attracted to Elena, I am, but it’s not really something I’ve been thinking about and if something were to happen with Elena I wasn’t worried about repeating the past because Elena isn’t Katherine.

“Of course you are. We both know the closest you’ll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open and feed on it”.   
“What kind of game are you playing, Damon?”

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?” _He’s going to ruin my life, isn’t he?_

 


	6. The Night Of The Comet

**Mystic Falls Town Square**

_**Bonnie’s POV** _

Today was a good day. For the first time in a while I was okay, I got my best friend back. Granted he just told me he’s a vampire, which makes me question my own sanity because most people would be freaked out, right? Maybe I was handling it so well because of the history there, I don’t know or maybe it was taking longer to really sink in. It really didn’t matter to me what the reason was.

“Tonight, night of the comet! Would you like a program” I said. Elena and I were at the town square handing out pamphlets for ‘The night of the Comet’, but she didn’t really seem into it.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” I asked a little concerned, I nudged her to get her attention and she snapped out of whatever funk she was in “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked again and she seemed to be debating on what to tell me.

“Oh it’s nothing. I mean, uh, it’s about Stefan, but I don’t really want to bring it up to you because I know how you feel about him and all” she said, fidgeting a little bit. _Was she nervous?_

“Actually Stefan and I talked yesterday and I guess you’d say we’re on the road to recovery”.

“Oh Bonnie, that’s so great” she said giving me a hug.

“Okay, back to you” I said pulling away “Now what’s this about Stefan?”

“Well I may have gone to his house yesterday to talk to him about something, but he wasn’t there so I ended up having a really uncomfortable conversation with his brother-”

“Wait? Damon?” I asked, my voice sounding a little frantic as I cut her off and she nodded “Elena stay away from Damon, he’s bad news”.

“I didn’t go seeking him out Bonnie, and why? What’s wrong with him?”

“Elena trust me, just promise me you’ll stay away from him, please?” I pleaded with her and she must’ve noticed how serious I looked because she just nodded without further question and sighed in relief.

“So what did you want to talk to Stefan about?” I asked getting us back on track. “Oh uhm, just that…” she seemed nervous again, which made me curious.

“Elena, do- do you like Stefan?” I asked and watched as her whole face turned scarlet “Oh my gosh, you do” I said getting a little excited. I haven’t really thought about Stefan and Elena as a thing, but they’d actually be really cute together and both of them would be happy, which would make me happy.

“Okay, yeah I do, but Bonnie the timing is all wrong” she said, bursting my bubble.

“When is it ever right?”

“I’m not ready, Bonnie”

“Who is?” she best believe I was going to counter her argument at every turn.

“At least I put myself out there” and I couldn’t help but scoff at that. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

“What do you mean?” _I mean you went to his house and he wasn’t even there!_

“All I’m hearing is reasons why you can’t” 

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House**

_**Stefan’s POV** _

“What is Damon doing here? Why did he come home?” Zach asked as he walked into the parlor where I was currently sitting on the couch reading a book and waiting for Bonnie to text me.

“Cause I came home. He wants to make my life miserable. That’s how he enjoys his” I said flatly without looking up from my book.

“Well he’s putting us all at risk. This girl in the hospital could talk”.

“She won’t. I took care of her”.

“You’re sure?” I looked up at him then to see the anxious expression on his face. I closed the book and got up from the couch to face him head on.

“I’m not sure, Zach. I don’t know how well it worked. I’m not as strong as Damon” I knew it wasn’t reassuring, but I wanted to be honest with him.

“So what happens if it doesn’t work?”

“I don’t know. I’ll deal with it” I said as my phone went off. I pulled it out of my pocket to see the text I’ve been waiting for _**Meet me @ the grill- B.**_

“Look Zach, I gotta go” I said and walked out before he could respond. 

* * *

**Mystic Grill**

_**Bonnie’s POV** _

I sat at the grill waiting for Stefan. After I left Elena I was too wound up over the fact that she had feelings for Stefan and I wanted to play matchmaker so badly, but I had to figure out if he felt the same way. This was going to be my good deed for the year.

I saw Stefan walk in and waved him over “Hey, Salvatore” I said once he got closer and got out of my chair to give him a hug “Hey, Bunny” he said making me roll my eyes at the childhood nickname he gave me and pulled away from him, punching him in the shoulder which ended up hurting my hand “What are you made of, steel?” I asked as I sat down massaging my hand and he only chuckled before sitting down as well.

“Yeah well you should know better than to punch a vampire” he said softly leaning towards me so only I could hear and I rolled my eyes again. “So we’re watching the comet together, right?” he asked as he flagged down a waiter and I shook my head “No”.

“Why not?” He asked in confusion, which turned to suspicion when he saw the giddy expression on my face “What did you do, Bonnie?”

I waved him closer as if to tell him a secret, “Guess who likes you?” I whispered, and he furrowed his brows before playing along “Who?” he whispered back.

“Elena” I said sitting up straight again with a grin so huge he could probably see all my teeth.

I watched as his expression varied from shock, to something else I didn’t recognize before settling on annoyance “Bonnie, what did you do?” he asked a little frantic and, _wait, is he blushing?_

“What? I didn’t do anything. I was just talking to Elena and she just happened to mention that she likes you, and you like her too I can tell”.

“And how can you possibly tell that?” he asked, skeptical.

“Stefan, I can clearly see you blushing” I said with a smug look on my face because we both knew I was right “And may I say, I didn’t even know vampires could blush that much, but hey you learn something new everyday” I said softly after checking to see if anyone was paying any attention to us.

“Okay you need to shut up about that” he said “And so what if I do like her. I can’t do anything about it”.

“Why not? Come on Stefan now’s not the time to be shy”.

He sighed, turning serious and leaned onto the table again, making me do the same “Okay, I’m going to tell you something I found out about Elena”.

“What is it?”

“I’m getting to it, Bennett” he said before continuing “Back in 1864, when Damon and I were still human we fell for this woman named Katherine. She was a vampire, but I didn’t know that at the time and when I found out that she was sleeping with me and Damon I confronted her about it, and she compelled me, which is basically like mind control, and she fed on us and healed us with her blood which is how we became vampires. We died with vampire blood in our system and we had a choice to die, or complete the transition by drinking human blood. I wasn’t ready to die, Bonnie and I wasn’t ready to live without my brother either so I drank human blood and I guilt tripped Damon into feeding as well. He’s hated me ever since” I grabbed a hold of his hand to let him know I understood, he was seventeen years old, a kid, no one wants to die so young or be alone. Apparently he wasn’t done cause he started speaking again “Anyway, Katherine was selfish and hateful, and she died that way, but she was beautiful, and when I first got to town I thought Elena was Katherine” he said that last part slowly and I just looked at him for a minute.

“Are you saying that my best friend Elena Gilbert, looks like your ex who died over a century ago?”

“Yes, but then I realized that it wasn’t her. For one because Elena is human, and also because she’s the complete opposite of Katherine. I just don’t know how they look alike, so far the only logical reason I can come up with it that they are related somehow which I know doesn’t explain how they look exactly alike”

“Okay, I’m going to wrap my head around that later, but Stef you said so yourself, she’s not Katherine so why are you so scared to be with her” I asked before something else he said made me realize why he was so scared “You scared the past will repeat itself” It wasn’t a question and him hiding his face from me let me know I was right.

I removed his hands from his face and held onto them “Stefan listen to me, Elena is not Katherine, and besides Elena is a one man, woman and you are the man she’s chosen. You only have one life, Salvatore well technically two for you, but this is your last one, so how are you going to live it?” I asked seriously, I knew I won him over when he squeezed my hands.

He go up from his seat and leaned over to kiss my cheek “Thank you, Bunny” he said pulling away. _There was really no point in punching him again, I’d only really be hurting myself._

“Stop thanking me and go get your woman, man” I said pushing him to the exit, chuckling a little bit as I watched him go. 

* * *

**Mystic Falls Town Square**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I was walking in the square when I caught Elena’s scent, I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this. When Bonnie first told me Elena liked me I wasn’t sure what to think, I had a weird feeling about it at first but figured that had to do with the fact that she looks like Katherine. It felt good to tell Bonnie about Katherine and about how I was turned, but then again it’s always been easy to talk to Bonnie. She had this way of talking me off the ledge, which is what she did for me now.

I am attracted to Elena so what’s really stopping me from pursuing something with her, Bonnie’s right we only have one life and I can’t keep living in the past. “Hey, I got some candles” I heard Caroline say as I approached them, grabbing a candle, and quickly made my way next to Elena as Matt finished lighting her candle and she turned to light mine “Thank you” I said and she looked up at me “Hi” I greeted her with a smile, she really was beautiful, her brown eyes sparkling in the candle light.

“Hi” she said, returning the smile. I looked at her mesmerized for a moment, noticing the subtle differences between her and Katherine before turning to look at the Comet “You know, that comet…it’s been traveling across space for thousands of years. All alone” ‘ _that’s just great, Salvatore. As if she doesn’t learn enough at school’_ I could hear Bonnie say sarcastically in my head.

“Yeah, Bonnie says it’s a harbinger of evil” and I couldn’t help, but chuckle at that. “Yeah that sounds like something Sheila would’ve probably said to her” I said before continuing more solemnly “I think it’s just a ball of…snow and ice, trapped on a path that it can’t escape. And once every 145 years, it gets to come home. I’m sorry about yesterday. I wasn’t myself” I decided to apologize for her run in with Damon, I think we may have scared her a little bit.

“You seem to spend a lot of time apologizing”

“Well, I have a lot to apologize for. Yesterday, that wasn’t about you, okay?”

“You never mentioned you had a brother”

“We’re not close. It’s uh…it’s complicated” I can’t even begin to explain my relationship with Damon to her.

“Always. He told me about your ex. Katherine” she said choosing to look at the comet instead of maintaining eye contact with me.

“What did he say?”

“That she broke your heart”.

“That was a long time ago” _why would he even bring that up with her, oh right, misery._

“When you lose someone, it stays with you, always reminding you of how easy it is to get hurt” she said and I could tell this was making her emotional, and I wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay, I just didn’t know how.

“Elena…” I trailed off, trying to get her to look at me and she did, but I could see the tears in her eyes begging to break free before she blinked them away

“Its okay, Stefan. I get it. You have no idea how much I get it. Complicated brother? Check. Complicated ex? Check. Too complicated to even contemplate dating, double check. So really, It’s okay” she said before she blew out her candle and walked away. I just stood there looking after her, not really sure what to do. 

* * *

**Mystic Grill**

_**General POV** _

Vicki Donovan was waiting tables when she spotted a familiar face and walks over to him “I know you” she said trying to figure out where she may have seen him before.

“Well, that’s unfortunate” Damon said, he knew Stefan wouldn’t be able to handle this little problem. “Um…I don’t…I don’t know how, but…your face” she said feeling frustrated with herself, maybe she was mistaken and was just giving herself a headache for nothing “Excuse me. Sorry” she said and went to the restroom to take some pills. When she looked into the mirror, Damon was behind her and attacked her, making her scream.

Inside the grill Jeremy was wandering around looking for Vicki when he spotted everyone “Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?”

“You’re her stalker. You tell us” Tyler said, but Jeremy chose to ignore him.

“I can’t find her”.

“She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you’ve been replaced”.

“What’s with the pill pusher?” Elena cut into their conversation before Jeremy could react. “Ask Him”.

“You wanna do this right now?” Jeremy asked his sister.

“Are you dealing?”

“She’s never gonna go for you” Tyler decided to inject himself again. “She already did. Over and over and over again” Jeremy responded with a smug look on his face.

“Yeah, right”

“You slept with Vicki Donovan? I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with you?” Caroline spoke up for the first time, a little louder than she intended with shock clear in her voice, but Tyler still wasn’t buying it “There’s no way”.

“And I didn’t even have to force her into it”.

“What the hell is he talking about, Ty?” Matt asked, getting pissed off about what Jeremy was implying. “Nothing, man, just ignore him, he’s a punk”. Matt didn’t have time to deal with this feud over his sister, he had to find her.

“You know what, how about all of you shut up and help me find my sister”.

“I’ll check the square” Bonnie was the first to volunteer after having to listen to these guy’s dumb bickering and walked out of the grill.

Matt nodded gratefully “I’ll check the back”.

“I’ll come with you” Jeremy said, but Elena was already pulling him by the collar “Oh, no, no, no. You are coming with me” she said, ready to give him an earful. 

* * *

**Street**

_**Stefan’s POV** _

I was headed back to the grill when I saw Bonnie heading in my direction “Bon” I called out to her and she turned her head to look at me, she looked worried about something. When she saw me she ran over “Stefan, hey. Where were you?” she asked. I was about to answer her when she held up a hand “Later. Right now we’re looking for Vicki Donovan” she said dragging me towards the square. She was missing again? Someone should really put a bell on that girl.

I grabbed Bonnie’s arm making her stop as I heard a girl scream “What is it?” she asked confused, but I was busy listening to Damon and Vicki’s voices.

“You really have to stop screaming” I heard Damon say.

“No, please, stop. Don’t…”

“Shh. I got you…”

“Damon’s got her on the roof” I said and she gave me a shocked look mixed with confusion before she looked up trying to find them herself.

“What?! Oh my gosh, Stefan. Can you hear them?” she asked a little frantic and I nodded “I’m gonna go get her, okay? Wait for me at the grill” I said about to jump on the roof when she grabbed ahold of my arm.

“What, no?! Stefan from what you’ve told me, Damon is crazy. I am not letting you go up there by yourself!”

“I can’t let him find out that you exist, Bonnie!” I yelled at her, I wanted to get my point across and she wasn’t listening. I took a deep breath before calming down again “We don’t have time for this okay? Listen to me, if he finds out about you he could kill you just to hurt me and I can’t let that happened, come on we’ve been over this. Now let me do this, go back to the grill and I’ll be right back, I promise”.

She let out a frustrated sigh “Fine, but you better be careful Salvatore” she said shoving me a bit and I smiled at her before kissing her forehead “I’ll be right back”.

I jumped onto the roof in time to see Damon holding Vicki by the edge of the roof “No! No!” Vicki cried, clutching onto him for dear life.

“Shh, I’m not gonna drop you” Damon said against her hair, brushing it with his free hand before turning to me “Not bad. Have you been eating bunnies?”

“Let her go”.

“Shh. Really? Okay” he said nonchalantly, pulling Vicki closer to the edge.

“No!” she screamed, while I took a step closer “No, no, no!” I said trying to keep him from doing something stupid and he threw her at me instead.

“Ugh! Relax”.

“What’s happening?” Vicki asked me while her heart beat erratically and I looked up at Damon again “I don’t need her to be dead, but…you might” he said and grabbed her from my grasp, forcing her to look at him “What attacked you the other night?”

“I don’t know. An animal” she said scared to death. He was trying to undo the compulsion.

“Are you sure about that? Think. Think about it. Think really hard. What attacked you?”

“A vampire”.

“Who did this to you?”

“You did!” she screeched when she remembered what happened to her.   
“Wrong!” he yelled at her and I finally caught on to what he was doing. “Don’t”

“It was Stefan”

“Don’t” I said a little louder, trying to get him to stop, but this was Damon and Bonnie was right about him. He was crazy. Damon grabbed Vicki on both sides of her head and compelled her “Stefan Salvatore did this to you”.

“Stefan Salvatore did this to me” she responded mechanically, the compulsion taking effect.

“He’s a vampire. A vicious, murderous monster”.

“Please, Damon. Please don’t do this” I begged him.

“If you couldn’t fix it before, I don’t know what you can do now” Damon pulled of Vicki’s bandage and throws her to me again “Aah!” she screamed while I tried to control the bloodlust.

“Ugh! Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlor tricks is nothing compared to the power that you could have, that you now need. But you can change that. Human blood gives you that” he taunted me as I tried keep myself from biting into her neck.

“No!” the girl in my arms screamed.

“You have two choices. You can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run, screaming ‘vampire’ through the town square”.

“That’s what this is about? You want to expose me?” I asked finally able to think straight enough to push her away from me.

“No! I want you to remember who you are!” Damon’s voice boomed throughout the rooftop. He was getting frustrated.

“Why? So what, so I’ll feed? So I’ll kill? So I’ll remember what it’s like to be brothers again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, and let them drive a stake through my heart, because at least I’ll be free of you” I called his bluff, I was so sick and tired of his shit!

“Huh. Huh. Wow. Come here, sweetheart” he said reaching for the girl again as she tried to squirm away from him “No!”

“It’s okay” He said and whispered something into her ear. I watched her physically calm down before she turned around with a confused look on her face “What happened? Where am I? Oh, I ripped my stitches open. Ugh…” she said touching her wound.

“You okay?” I asked making sure she was really okay.

“I took some pills, man. I’m good” she said before leaving to go back to the grill. I watched her as she left to make sure she was gone before I heard Damon let out a content sigh “It’s good to be home. Think I might stay a while. This town could use a bit of a wake-up call, don’t you think? Anyway, it was good catching up little brother. Give Elena my best”. 

* * *

**Inside The Grill**

_**Bonnie’s POV** _

It’s been over fifteen minutes since I left Stefan to go face his psycho brother and I was starting to get antsy just sitting here waiting. I should have never let him talk me into coming back here “Ugh, it’s just so much drama. Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?” Caroline asked from beside me as she nodded towards Vicki who walked through the door and was immediately drawn into a hug by Matt and I let myself relax a little bit.  “Bonnie, are you even listening to me?”

“Uh, yeah” I said distracted and could practically feel Caroline roll her eyes at me.

Matt was busy helping Vicki with her Bandage when I saw Stefan walk through the door “She said you found her wandering around”  I heard Matt say and Stefan nodded “So, um, thanks” he said and Stefan nodded again before his eyes searched the room until he spotted Caroline and I seated at one of the tables. I got up from my seat as he got closer and gave him a tight hug, letting myself relax in his arms before pulling away again and shoving his shoulder “You really need to stop doing that” he said grabbing my wrist and dropping it.

I took a seat again “Now that you found Vicki, tell us what happened with Elena”.

“Wait so she told him?” Caroline asked, her interest peaked and I shake my head. “Well if she didn’t tell him then what happened?”

“This one totally blabbed”

“Stefan!” I yelled smacking his shoulder while he laughed along with Caroline “I did not blab, but I will admit that I meddled just a little bit”.

“Okay well how did it go?” Caroline asked Stefan, who shook his head.

“What did you do?” I asked sitting up straight in my chair and giving him a serious look.

“I didn’t do anything. I tried, but in a nutshell she told me that the timing wasn’t right”.

“Then you try again, Stefan” I said. _Urgh these people need to work with me_. I dug into my bag for a pen and paper “Look, here’s her number” I said writing it down “She’s big on texting, and you can tell her…‘I said so’” I handed him the piece of paper, our fingers touching, when I saw something. I pulled away quickly, feeling scared for him for some reason before concealing my fear so he wouldn’t worry about me. We can deal with what I saw tomorrow.

“You okay, B?” he asked with a worried look on his face as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Oh no, we are not changing the subject, Salvatore” I said drawing the attention away from myself “We’ll talk tomorrow, don’t worry. Now go” I said basically pulling him out of the chair and towards the door.

“This is going to be your thing now, isn’t it?” Caroline asked as I sat down again, referring to the visions. 

* * *

**Gilbert Residence**

_**Elena’s POV** _

I walked into Jeremy’s room to find Jenna snooping around “What are you doing?” I asked her, a little suspicious.

“I’ve become my worst nightmare” She said rummaging through one of his shoes “The authority figure who has to violate a 15 year old’s privacy. Jackpot” she said finding his stash “I see the hiding places haven’t gotten any more creative”.

“What brought this on?” I asked, not blaming her. To be honest I was probably going to do it myself eventually.

“Your ass-hat of a history teacher shamed me good yesterday”.

“You got tannered. Been there” I nodded in understanding, her behavior finally making sense.

“Discover the impossible, Ms. Sommers” she said imitating him, which was pretty good. “Got it. Thanks. Like I didn’t know I was screwing up”.

“You’re not screwing up, Aunt Jenna”.

“Yes, I am. You know why? Because I’m not her. She made everything look so easy. You know, high school, marriage, having you” she said referring to my mother, Aunt Jenna felt like she needed to fill my mother’s shoes, but she really didn’t “I can’t do it. I’m gonna say or do the wrong thing, and he’s gonna get worse, and it’s gonna be my fault. It’s impossible”.

“This is just the fear talking. You’re a little scared, that’s all. We all are” I said finally realizing that’s what I was being with Stefan, scared, well not anymore “I have to go do something. But are you going to be okay?” I asked and she just waved me off so I quickly headed for the door. 

* * *

**Mystic Grill**

_**General POV** _

Caroline was walking to her car when she heard something and stopped. She continued her trek to her car when she didn’t see anything and dropped her keys trying to open her car. She picked them up and saw Damon in front of her as she was standing up again. “Oh…whoa”.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you” Damon smirked at her.

“No, it’s fine. Um…I was hoping I’d see you again”.

“I know”

“Cocky much?” she snorted with a raised brow.

“Very much” he said with a smug smile on his face. 

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House**

_**Stefan’s POV** _

I didn’t go see Elena, and I didn’t text her either. I know Bonnie said I should, but I was too wound up from the events of tonight and I couldn’t stop worrying about her. I know she saw something, I just had to wait for her to tell me what it was tomorrow. It doesn’t really matter that I didn’t go see her, right? I mean, if it’s meant to happen then it will and I’ll just have to face Bonnie’s wrath tomorrow.

I was about to head up to my room when I heard a knock on the front door and went to open it “Hi” I said as I saw Elena standing on the other side. _Was this a sign?_

“Hey”

“Would you like to come in?”

“The comet’s actually this way” she said pointing to the opposite direction and walking backwards until she sat down on the porch and I followed after her. “Sorry for barging in. Especially after earlier”.

“No, no. I’m glad you’re here. The way we left things…I didn’t like it” I said and I didn’t, I really felt bad for just letting her go like that. My feelings were all over the place, but her being here means something right? Maybe Bonnie was right, I just need to try again.

“See, the thing is, I got home tonight planning on doing what I always do, write in my diary, like I have been since my mom gave me one when I was ten. It’s where I get everything out, everything I’m feeling. It all goes in this little book that I hide behind this really hideous ceramic mermaid” she said before turning to look at me “But then I realized that I’d just be writing things that I should probably be telling you”.

“What would you write?” I asked curious, I was getting lost in her eyes again.

“I would write…’Dear diary, today I convinced myself it was okay to give up. Don’t take risks. Stick to the status quo. No drama, now is just not the time. But my reasons aren’t reasons, they’re excuses. All I’m doing is hiding from the truth, and the truth is that…’ I’m scared, Stefan. I’m scared that if I let myself be happy for even a moment that…the world’s just going to come crashing down, and I…don’t know if I can survive that”.

Since I’ve been back I haven’t really thought about a relationship with Elena, at first all I saw was Katherine’s lookalike and then I saw my best friend’s friend, with her own quirky qualities which made me even more attracted to her, but right now, this is the first time I’m seeing Elena for who she is and the more I look at her right now and the more I talk to her, the more I want to be with her.

“Do you want to know what I would right? ‘I met a girl who I found more and more amazing every time I talked to her. She isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met and I guess that’s what makes me want to get to know her so much. I just hope she’ll let me’” I said leaning closer to her until our lips touched, and we were kissing. 

* * *

**Forbes Residence**

_**General POV** _

Damon was kissing Caroline’s stomach when all of a sudden his face transformed and he bit her, making her scream.

“Ahh!”

 


	7. Guess Who's Invited to Dinner

**Forbes Residence**

**_General POV_ **

Caroline woke up praying that the events of last night were nothing more than a nightmare, that she didn’t see Damon’s face change in front of her eyes before he fed on her. Her heart sank to her stomach and fear crept in when she turned her head and saw her pillow covered in blood. She looked up and saw Damon sleeping next to her and she couldn’t get out of the bed fast enough. She tried to leave the room, but Damon woke up and saw her.

“Good Morning” he said with a sinister smile on his face, making her jump at the sound of his voice and turn around as she started to cry hysterically, wondering how she got herself into this situation.

“Please…Don’t!”

“Don’t do that. Ah, ah, ah, ah” He said calmly as he sat up, but she didn’t calm down and she grabbed the closest thing she could find, which was her lamp, and threw it at him.

“No! No! No! Get away from me! No!” she screamed in a panic and tossed the pillow covered in blood at him as well, which Damon caught easily.

“This could have gone a completely different way” he smelt the pillow and his face began to change before attacking Caroline again.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

Bonnie and I walked from the parking lot and onto the school grounds while I told her about what happened with Damon the night before. I was busy telling her that Damon decided to stick around town which meant we had to be extra careful when “How long am I going to have to pretend to listen to you before you tell me what happened with Elena? You know, I had to convince her to get a ride from Aunt Jenna just so we could talk about it” she said impatiently, with an annoyed look in her eyes.

“Bonnie, this is important”.

“I know, Stefan, but we’ve been talking about it since you got to my house this morning so can we please lay it to rest for a bit?” she asked giving me her best puppy dog eyes. She grinned when I sighed, knowing I couldn’t say no to her. “Okay spill”.

“Only if you promise to tell me what you saw last night” I said trying to compromise with her and she lifted her right hand and used her index finger to make a cross sign over her heart. That made me smile fondly at her, she hasn’t done that in a while. It was her way of making a promise.

“Okay, well she came over last night and we talked for a while. She told me her fears and I tried to reassure her that everything would work out, and then we kissed”. She started jumping up and down, clapping her hands while she giggled excitedly “Aww, that’s so sweet! How was the kiss?” she asked and I actually feared that if her grin got any wider she’d break her face.

“It was fine, Bonnie. I don’t know, it was cool I liked it” I said, not sure what she wanted me to say.

“You suck at detail, Salvatore, but lucky for you I’m best friends with both of you so I’ll just ask her” she said and I rolled my eyes wondering why she didn’t just do that in the first place.

“Your turn” I said crossing my arms over my chest and she stopped walking then, her face turning serious again and I almost regretted bringing it up because I wanted to see that smile again.

“It wasn’t clear like a picture. When I touched you, it was a feeling. And it vibrated through me, and it was cold, and it…”

“What?” I asked, grabbing a hold of her arm, encouraging her to finish what she was saying.

“It was death. It’s what I imagine death to be like” She said taking a deep breath before she continued “I felt your death, Stefan”.

Her powers were getting stronger and it was killing me to not be able to help her, but Sheila told me once that when the time came she’d have to get there on her own.

I must of been quiet for a long time because she looked at me with fear, her green eyes sparkling with unshed tears “You don’t really think that I could be a witch, do you?” she asked her eyes pleading for me to tell her that she was just being paranoid and that this was just something that would pass, but I couldn’t do that as much as I wanted to take away her fear and worry, I couldn’t lie to her anymore.

“Anything’s possible, Bunny, maybe it’s time you started believing that too” I said as I let go of her arm.

“Hey guys” I heard Elena’s voice say from behind us and Bonnie immediately plastered a smile on her face which I could tell wasn’t genuine, but Elena didn’t seem to notice.

“Hey, Lena” Bonnie said giving her a hug which Elena returned before she pulled away. Elena looked up at me, her eyes sparkling as she greeted me fondly “Hey Stefan” she said kissing my cheek and hugging me, but I couldn’t get into it as I looked over her shoulder and saw Bonnie fidling with her fingers. She gave me a weak smile when she caught me, but I couldn’t bring myself to return it.

Elena pulled away from me and just looked at me. “I’m going to leave you guys alone” Bonnie said, catching Elena’s attention “You don’t have to leave”.

“I know, but I have a feeling you guys are going to get all touchy feely and I don’t want to be around when that happens so I’ll see you guys in class” she said before walking towards the school building.

Elena turned to me with a bright smile on her face as she took both my hands in hers, intertwining our fingers “What were you two talking about?”

“You” I said without hesitation, and it wasn’t a lie we did talk about her and her face lit up at my response “Good answer, Mr. Salvatore” she said planting a chaste kiss on my lips and for some reason I chose to ignore, it felt different.

“So I’ve never really seen you and Bonnie interact with each other as friends, so I was thinking the three of us could have dinner tonight” she said as we continued walking towards the building Bonnie disappeared into a few minutes ago, our hands still intertwined.

“Sounds like a plan”.

I saw Matt and Tyler throwing a football around and quickly reminded myself that his sister was fine, and that any reservations he had about me were now water under the bridge.

“Look…there’s Elena and her new boyfriend. Now, what are they doing? Oh, they’re walking, walking. Yep. Right into the sunset” I heard Tyler tell Matt, making me question the kind of friend he was exactly.

“You’re a dick”.

“While you just stand there looking like one of those little yard trolls”.

“Gnomes” Matt corrected him.

“Okay so dinner is going to be at eight” Elena was saying, drawing my attention back to her.

“No problem” I said listening to Matt and Tyler again. The guy was sketchy and seemed to have a bad boy streak.

“Hey, what am I supposed to do, Ty? She made her choice”.

“Let her know she made the wrong one” Tyler said catching the football.

“What are you doing? Ty, don’t. Ty, don’t! Ty!” I heard Matt try to stop his friend from doing something stupid, but it was already too late and I heard the football fly through the air heading straight towards me. I quickly turned around and caught the ball before it could hit me and I threw it back at Tyler with a little more strength than necessary, shocking both of them while Elena laughed beside me.

“That throw was insane. I didn’t know you played football” she said as we walked inside the school building.

“I used to. It was a long time ago”

“So why don’t you try out for the team?”

“Yeah, I don’t think so” I wasn’t about to join a team where two of its players already hated me.

“So you don’t like football?”

“No, I love football. I think it’s a great sport. But in this case, I don’t think football likes me. You saw Tyler over there, and we both know how Matt feels”.

“They don’t know you. To them, you’re mysterious loner guy. Wouldn’t hurt to be part of something. Make some friends”.

“I have friends” I said a little offended.

“You have a friend, singular, as in one. Couldn’t hurt to make more”.

“Hmm…I don’t think my one friend is gonna like the competition” and if I’m being completely honest I was just boosting my own ego. Bonnie would probably love it if I made more friends, but I don’t know, I guess I liked that it was just the two of us against the world.

* * *

 

In history class I kept looking at Bonnie as she wrote numbers in her book “8”, “14”, “22”, tracing over them over and over again as if she was in a trance and I couldn’t help but be worried again. Something bad was going to happened and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop it.

“World War II ended in…Anyone got anything? Miss Juan? 1945” I heard Mr. Tanner answer his own question, but kept my eyes on my slouched over best friend before Elena whispered to me, drawing my attention “Psst. FYI…Our team sucks. They could use you”.

“Can’t”

“Pearl Harbor” Mr. Tanner said in the background, but I continued to whisper to Elena. “I’m a loner”.

“Miss Gilbert?”

“Hmm?” she asked turning to the teacher again “Pearl Harbor?”

“Um…”

“December 7, 1941” I said deciding to save my girlfriend from our jerk of a teacher.

“Thank you, Miss Gilbert” He said making the rest of the class chuckles “Anytime”.

“Very well. The fall of the Berlin wall” he was challenging me.

“1989. I’m good with dates, sir”

“Are you? How good? Keep it to the year. Civil Rights Act.”

“1964”

“John F. Kennedy assassination”.

“1963” I said, the rest of the class seeming interested in how far this would go.

“Martin Luther King”

“‘68”

“Lincoln”

“1865”

“Roe vs. Wade”

“1973”

“Brown vs. Board”

“1954”

“The battle of Gettysburg”

“1863”

“Korean War”

“1950 to 1953”

“Ha! It ended in ‘52” he said loudly, he seemed proud of himself, even though he was wrong. “Uh, actually, sir, it was ‘53” I corrected him and he looked uncertain for a moment.

“Look it up, somebody. Quickly” he said and one of the students took out their phone and searched the date “It was 19…53” the person said and I couldn’t help the smug look on my face as I looked up at Mr. Tanner. He didn’t seem too happy as he looked back at me before he turned around, heading to his desk as the bell rang. I turned my head towards Bonnie who, even after all the commotion, was still slouched over her desk tracing over the numbers “8”, “14”, “22”.

* * *

 

**_Football Field_ **

**_General POV_ **

After school the team was on the football field practicing for the game on Friday “Nice job! Nice job!” Matt said motivating his team.

Mr. Tanner, who was also the football couch, watched the boys play. He wasn’t really satisfied with their form and just hoped they didn’t get their asses kicked in Friday’s game, but he was getting frustrated with them “Mr. Lockwood, is there anything you’re good at? ‘Cause it isn’t history, and it sure as hell isn’t defending the ball!”

“Yes, coach”

“Now do it again!”

Stefan was sitting at the bleachers watching the football team practice and contemplating whether he should actually try out for the team, while the cheerleaders were on the other side of the field warming up. Bonnie was stretching when she saw Elena approach her and couldn’t help but be happy that her friend came to practice.

“Oh, my gosh! You’re here!” she said jumping up and giving Elena a warm hug.

“Yep. I can’t be sad girl forever” Elena said pulling away from her “The only way to get things back to the way they were are to do things that were. Oh, and you’re coming to dinner tonight”.

“I am?”

“Mm-hmm. You, me and Stefan are hanging out”.

“Oh that’s cool. Um, have you seen Caroline? I texted her like a hundred times” Bonnie said a little worried. Caroline didn’t show up to school and she hadn’t arrived for practice yet, which for Caroline was odd because she’s usually one of the first people there.

“I haven’t”.

Stefan finally got up to go talk to Mr. Tanner about joining the football team, but the man was giving him a hard time “Varsity trials were last spring, Mr. Salvatore” he said, not looking away from the field.

“I wasn’t here then, sir”.

“And you’re not here now, as far as I’m concerned”.

“Mr. Tanner, I realize that you and I didn’t get off to the best start, and I want to apologize for that. I’ve played football before. Wide receiver, mostly, and I’m pretty good” He said trying to reason with the coach.

“Well, I won’t be asking you who won the super bowl in ‘71”.

“’71 was the-” he started, but cut himself off when he saw the glare his teacher gave him “Sorry. I…I understand that, sir”.

“Just to see you get knocked on your ass. Borrow some gear. Go! Before I change my mind” he said and Stefan went off in search of football gear “Let’s run it again!”

“First my girlfriend, now my team?” Matt said from beside Tyler after they heard the conversation between Tanner and Stefan. “Dude, this is an opportunity. Football’s a contact sport. Sometimes people get hurt” he said patting his friend’s back “Whoo! Ha ha! He yelled before running onto the field again.

At the cheerleader’s practice Bonnie was getting anxious, Caroline still hadn’t shown up “Seriously, where is Caroline?” she asked, frustrated.

“I don’t know. It’s not like her”.

“I’ll try her again” Bonnie said pulling out her phone to dial her again when Caroline arrived in Damon’s car. They watched as she kissed him, cringing a little bit “Is that…?”

“Yep, Damon Salvatore” Elena answered her friend’s unfinished question.

“Oh, my gosh. He must be the mystery guy from the grill” Bonnie said in realization as Caroline approached them “I got the other brother. Hope you don’t mind” she said to Elena who seemed to not know how to respond to that.

“Sorry I’m late, girls. I, uh, was busy. All right, let’s start with the double pike herkey hurdler, what do you say? She said in an authoritative tone as the girls got into their positions “And 5 6 7 8, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Elena, sweetie, why don’t you just observe today? Okay?” she asked in a fake sweet tone and Elena stepped away from the group to stand to the side. “Keep going! Okay. Do it again from the top. And 5 6 7 8, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8”.

Elena turned towards the football field, a smile creeping its way to her lips as she saw Stefan on the field. Deciding to watch him instead she made her way towards the bleachers to get a better view.

“Blue lady! Blue lady! Set, hut!” Matt said making the play “Go! Come on Tyler, cover it! Let’s do it”.

“Get it” Tanner yelled.

“Line up!” Elena heard Matt yell as she continued to watch her boyfriend, thinking how well he was doing.

“You don’t get to walk on the field and act like you own the place after five minutes. Just hang one up there and I’ll take care of the rest” Tyler said while Stefan listened in to their conversation.

“Do it again” Tanner said and Matt gathered his team together “All right, let’s huddle up. Set, hut!” They broke apart and Tyler threw the ball, hitting Stefan hard with it “Oh! Whoo! Welcome to the team, buddy”.

“You gonna live, Salvatore?” Coach Tanner asked him.

“Yeah”

“Walk it off, son”.

Matt approached them “Hey. That was my bad”.

“It’s all right”

“Yeah”

“All right”

Stefan watched them walk further onto the field before looking down at his broken finger and popping it back into place.

* * *

 

**Gilbert Residence**

**_General POV_ **

Bonnie and Elena were in the kitchen preparing dinner while they waited for Stefan to arrive and Bonnie was busy telling Elena about her psychic abilities, but her best friend was skeptical.

“You explain it. Last night, I’m watching Nine-o, a commercial break comes on and I’m like, I bet it’s that phone commercial. And sure enough, it’s that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture”.

“Oh, come on. That commercial’s on a constant loop” Elena countered.

“Fine. Well, how about this? Today I’m obsessed with numbers. Three numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14 and 22. How weird is that?”

“Maybe we should play the lottery” Elena joked and Bonnie just gave her a ‘be serious’ look “Have you talked to your Grams?” and Bonnie sighed deeply at that “She’s just gonna say it’s because I’m a witch. I don’t want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?”

“I don’t want to be a witch” she said as she poured the to-go food into the bowl.

“And putting it in a nice bowl isn’t fooling anybody”.

“Okay, serving spoons. Where are the serving spoons?”

“Middle drawer on your left” Bonnie said and Elena opened the drawer finding the spoons inside.

“Okay, so you’ve been in this kitchen like a thousand times” she said taking them out and Bonnie gave her a bored look “Yeah, that’s it” she said as the doorbell rings and Elena goes to open the door for Stefan.

“Birthday candles” Bonnie said before opening the drawer in front of her and finds the birthday candles inside.

“Bon, Stefan’s here” Elena called out to her and Bonnie took the bowls of food and headed to the dining room.

They were busy eating and laughing together when the doorbell rang again “I wonder who that could be” Elena said getting up from the table to go open the door while Bonnie and Stefan exchanged confused looks.

“Surprise! Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert” They heard Caroline voice say from where they were sitting and Stefan gave her a disapproving look “I was just making conversation, I didn’t think she’d take it as an invitation” Bonnie whisper shouted at him and he just sighed before getting up to go join Elena at the door “What are you doing here?” he asked looking at his brother.

“Waiting for Elena to invite me in” Damon responded looking at the girl in question “Oh, yeah, you can-”

“No, no, no. He can’t, uh…he can’t stay. Can you, Damon?” Stefan asked cutting Elena off, but Damon just smiled at the two of them until Elena sighed “It’s fine. Just come on in”.

“You have a beautiful home, Elena” Damon said as he crossed the threshold and walked into the house.

“Thank you”.

After an awkward dinner Elena went to the kitchen to clean up when Damon came in with more dishes “One more” he said and Elena thanked him. He stayed to help her out around the kitchen and was busy handing her a dirty glass when it accidently fell, but Damon quickly caught it “Nice save” she said giggling a little.

“I like you. You know how to laugh. And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven’t seen in a very long time”.

“Earlier, did you mean…Katherine?” she finally asked the question she’s been dying to know the answer to since he brought up people him and Stefan lost during dinner.

“Mm-hmm”

“How did she die?”

“In a fire. Tragic fire” he said and Elena could see the haunted look on his face.

“Recently?”

“It seems like it was yesterday”.

“What was she like?”

“She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department. She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive” Damon said with a fond look on his face and Elena knew right then that he loved her.

“So which one of you dated her first?”

“Nicely deduced. Ask Stefan. I’m sure his answer differs from mine. I’d quit cheerleading if I were you” It clearly wasn’t who she was anymore and pretending it was wouldn’t help.

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh, I saw you at practice. You looked miserable”.

“You saw that?”

“Am I wrong?”

“I used to love it. It was fun. Things are different this year. Everything that used to matter doesn’t anymore”.

“So don’t let it. Quit, move on. Problem solved. Ta-da”.

“Some things could matter again”.

“Maybe. But…seems a little unrealistic to me”.

“I’m sorry. About Katherine. You lost her too” she said feeling the need to apologize to him for the past when Bonnie walked in. Damon knew she was Emily’s descendant, the resemblance was there, but what he couldn’t put his finger on was what she and Stefan were hiding exactly.

He wasn’t an idiot, he knew things were going to be awkward when he arrived with Caroline, he even knew that his brother would be all broody and upset the whole night, but what he didn’t know was why he didn’t interact with the witch at all. It was almost as if he was purposefully trying to act like she wasn’t even there and vice versa. You’d think she’d be the one he would be talking to the most since she was Elena’s best friend and he’d want her approval.

“Hey, need some help?” she asked Elena, but Damon responded instead “Sure, why not?”

Bonnie walked further into the kitchen avoiding eye contact with Damon as she wiped down the counter “So, what are you to Stefan?” Damon asked, cutting to the chase and Bonnie froze for a second before seeming unfazed by the question, but Damon already saw it.

“I just met Stefan” she said still looking down at the counter she was cleaning and Damon scoffed. “If you said that a little more convincingly maybe I’d believe you” he said before walking out of the kitchen.

Once he was gone Elena turned away from the dishes she was cleaning to look at Bonnie “Why’d you lie?” she asked confused.

“Because he’s bad news, and I don’t want him knowing a lot about me”.

“Looks like he saw right through it though” Elena said making Bonnie sigh “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of”.

Damon walked into the living room to find Stefan asking Caroline to take off her scarf. It was obvious that Stefan found out that he was feeding on her and compelling her to forget, but Stefan wasn’t the only one who figured things out tonight. That witch knew about them, meaning his brother told her because they know each other and he trusted her with their secret.

He thinks back to a few years ago when he heard that Stefan had been living in Mystic falls, but by the time he thought to come back himself he heard he’d left again. He didn’t think much of it at the time, but maybe it had something to do with the girl in the kitchen, and not the one he thought of at first.

“What are you two kids talking about?” He asked as he took a seat across from his brother.

“I was just commenting on her scarf” Stefan said pointing at Caroline’s neck.

“Hmm. Hey, you know, um, Bonnie and Elena are finishing up the dishes. Why don’t you go see if you can help?”

“Does it look like I do dishes?”

“For me?” Damon said in a false sweet tone “Hmm…I don’t think so”.

Damon sighed in frustration before compelling her “Go see if Elena needs help in the kitchen”.

“You know what? I’m gonna go see if Elena needs some help in the kitchen”.

“Great”.

Once she was gone Stefan gave his brother a disapproving look “They are people, Damon. She’s not a puppet. She doesn’t exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to”.

“Sure she does. They all do. They’re whatever I want them to be. They’re mine for the taking”.

“All right, you’ve had your fun. You used Caroline, you got to meet Elena, good for you. Now it’s time for you to go”.

“Mmm, but that’s not who you really want to keep away from me, is it brother?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Bon-bon” he said with a sly smile while Stefan tried to keep a disinterested expression.

“I just met her”.

“You know, that’s exactly what she said, she wasn’t that convincing either, but she knows about us doesn’t she?” he asked rhetorically before continuing “You can try to deny it, but I already know I’m right. My question though is why? Why try so hard to keep her from me. Elena isn’t the reason you came back, is she? Our little Bon-bon is”.


	8. Friday Night Bites

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

We all headed home after dinner and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what Damon said to me. He knew. He found out about the one person I’ve been trying so hard to keep him from and now Bonnie had a target on her back and it was all my fault. I was busy writing down the events of tonight in my journal when I heard a knock on the front door before Bonnie’s voice filled my ears when Zach opened the door. “Hey, Uncle Zach” I heard her greet my nephew “Bonnie, how are you?”

“I’m good, is he up there?” I heard her ask before she walked up the stairs. I closed my journal as my bedroom door opened to reveal my best friend.

“Hey, Bunny” I said waving her forward and she complied, taking off her shoes before getting onto the bed to give me a hug. It felt nice having her head on my chest as we laid there for a minute, not saying anything as her heartbeat soothed me, reminding me that she was still safe. She pulled away, too soon for my liking, and sat crisscrossed in front of me “Hey Salvatore, so that was awkward as hell, huh?” she said with a soft smile on her lips.

“Sorry I couldn’t keep you from Damon”.

“Hey that wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have known he was going to show up like that” she said grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

“Yeah, but still-”

“Hey! You’re my protector” she said sternly “And I know you’ll protect me. I trust you, Stefan” she said so sincerely that I couldn’t help, but lift the hand holding mine up to my lips and kissing it softly before dropping it again.

“Okay, so if you didn’t come here to tell me I suck at my job then why are you here?” I asked feeling a little better.

“Cause I wanted to be the first to see you in your new gear, Mr. Football Player” she said bouncing herself up and down on the bed and I couldn’t help, but chuckle at her antics “Move it, Salvatore we’re losing daylight here” she snapped her fingers at me, trying to get me to move faster and I got up from the bed and took my maroon and white jersey out of the wardrobe before taking off the shirt I wore to dinner and replacing it with my jersey.

The moment I turned around again Bonnie started whistling and catcalling that I just burst out laughing this time because she was really bad at it “Damn, if the girls weren’t after you before, they’ll be clawing their way to get to you now. I feel kinda bad for Elena” she said with a teasing smirk as I laid back on the bed again opening my arms up for her to come lay with me and she came and snuggled against me again as she whispered against my chest “We’re going to be just fine, Salvatore”.

I ran my hand through her curls, stroking them “Tell me what you saw” I finally spoke up softly after a long while and when she didn’t answer immediately I thought she may have fallen asleep and judging by the sound of her voice I think she was halfway there “I already told you this morning”.

“No, not that. I mean the numbers you kept writing in your book”.

“You saw that?”

Yeah, you seemed out of it in class”.

“I don’t know what it is, just keep seeing three numbers; 8 14 22, but I don’t know what they mean”.

I sighed stroking her hair again “That’s okay, we’ll figure it out together” I whispered into her hair before closing my eyes.

* * *

 

**Game Night**

**_General POV_ **

Stefan and Bonnie were busy talking as they waited for Elena to get there. Bonnie was glad to see Stefan excited about the game. When she made the decision to go see him last night she knew he’d be brooding over the whole Damon thing, but she didn’t want him to feel guilty for her mistake so she decided to go cheer him up, and it worked. She still remembered the sound of his laughter and it made her heart swell that she got that out of him. “Hey you two” Elena’s voice broke Bonnie out of her thoughts and she turned to see Elena standing beside Stefan with a smile on her face, although there was something off about it or maybe she was just being paranoid.

“Hey, why aren’t you in uniform?” Bonnie asked as she took in Elena’s outfit.

“I quit. I’m a quitter”.

“No, hey, you’re not a quitter. You suffered a great loss. You’re not the same person” Stefan said looking down at her “You should be looking ahead. You should be starting over, okay?”

She nodded, grabbing ahold of his hand and Bonnie couldn’t help but stare at their intertwined hands before snapping out of it “Stefan’s right, stop trying to do something that clearly isn’t you anymore” she said avoiding Stefan’s eyes for some reason she didn’t understand yet as they heard Tanner’s voice through the speakers.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let’s be honest here, in the past we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us” he shouted as the crowd booed “But that is about to change” and the crowd cheered this time “We’ve got some great new talent tonight starting on the offense, and I’m going to tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let’s give it up for Stefan Salvatore!”

“I’m up. See you guys after the game” Stefan said and headed towards Matt “You good?” Matt asked as he reached him.

“I’m good”.

“Listen, this week at practice I was a dick” Matt said owning up to what he did.

“Had your reasons”.

“No excuse” he said holding out his hand for Stefan to shake and he took it, shaking it firmly “Good luck tonight. We’re lucky to have you”.

Matt left him standing there and soon after Stefan heard clapping and turned to see his brother standing in the corner “Isn’t that nice? Stefan joins a team, makes a friend. It’s all so, ‘rah, rah, go team, yeah!” he said mockingly as he approached Stefan.

“Not tonight. I’m done with you”.

“Third wheeling your own girlfriend, Stefan? Not cool…so what were you and Bon-bon whispering about, huh?”

“None of your business, and leave her alone Damon” he said threateningly.

“That’s okay, I guess I’ll just have to seduce Elena instead. Or I could just…eat her”.

“No. You’re not gonna hurt her, Damon”.

“No?”

“Because deep down inside, there is a part of you that feels for her. I was worried that you had no humanity left inside you, that you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be”.

“Who’s pretending?”

“Then kill me”.

“Well, I’m…I’m tempted”.

“No, you’re not. You’ve had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. I’m still alive. And there you are. You’re still haunting me. After 145 years. Katherine is dead. And you hate me because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. And that, my brother, is your humanity” Stefan finished his speech when he heard someone approaching them “Salvatore! What the hell? We’ve got a game to play!” Coach Tanner’s voice came through their ears.

“If that’s my humanity…then what’s this?” Damon spat in anger before speeding towards Tanner, killing him.

“No!”

“Anyone, anytime, any place” he growled before speeding off, leaving Stefan to stand there in shock before running off to go find Bonnie.

When he saw her standing with some of the other cheerleaders he sighed in relief, she was okay. She looked up when she felt eyes on her and saw the horror in Stefan’s eyes. She split from the group and walked up to him and grabbed a hold of his arm, with a concerned look in her eyes “Damon killed Tanner” he said lowly, his voice not sounding like his own.

“What?!” Bonnie asked in horror, as fear filled her very core “Show me” she whispered earnestly and he just nodded once before they heard Matt yell for help and they rushed to go see.

As they watched Tanner’s body being taken away, Bonnie looked at the scene. She saw the license plate ‘BLDG 8’, the immatriculation’s car is ‘FHT 14’ and on the ground, the number 22. Her blood ran cold at the realization that this is what her vision meant and shook uncontrollably as tears filled her eyes “Stefan” she breathed shakily, pointing at the scene before them and he saw what had her so terrified. He grabbed her shoulder pulling her against his chest as she cried, clutching onto him for dear life.

A while later, after Bonnie calmed down a little, they saw Elena “She doesn’t look too good, come on” he said before he grabbed her hand and lead her to where Elena was standing, in the parking lot.

“What kind of animal could be doing all this? Why would it come out of the woods and attack someone in the middle of town?” Elena asked in fear as Bonnie and Stefan got to her.

“I don’t know. I don’t know” Stefan responded hugging her.

“Take her home, Stefan” Bonnie said from behind them “What about you?” he asked letting go of Elena. He didn’t want to leave her alone, especially after what Damon just did. He was unpredictable right now.

“I’m going to get in my car right now. I have to go see grams” she said and he understood what she meant and nodded. He watched her leave before he got into his own car and took Elena home.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

_I thought there was hope that somewhere deep inside, something in Damon was still human, normal. But I was wrong. There’s nothing human left in Damon. No good, no kindness. No love. Only a monster who must be stopped._


	9. Bonnie's Crush

**Bennett Household**

**_General POV_ **

_Stefan was standing on the street in front of Bonnie’s house when he heard a scream coming from inside and took off towards the house because he’d recognize that scream anywhere. He yanked the door open, removing it from its hinges and saw Bonnie standing in the hallway with blood dripping from her neck while Damon held her against him with his hand around her neck and her blood dripping down the side of his mouth._

_Damon flashed his fangs at him “Hello, Brother” he said with a sinister smile on his face. Stefan’s face changed instantly as he was filled with rage and charged at his brother only to be stopped by an invisible barrier “Why can’t I get in?” he whispered to himself before looking at his best friend as she got weaker and weaker. He tried pushing against the barrier again and again to no avail “Bonnie!” he yelled, trying to get her attention while she tried to keep her eyes open so she could look at him and saw the absolute pain in his eyes “I’m okay, Stefan” she tried to reassure him, her voice barely audible as tears rolled down her cheeks and his own eyes filled with tears. He failed her, all he had to do was keep her safe and he couldn’t do that and now she was dying right in front of his eyes. He pushed at the barrier again with his vampire speed, trying again as he cried in agony because every time he couldn’t get through he lost a peace of himself at the realization that he couldn’t save her._

_“Damon, Damon!” he growled at his brother, the urgency clear in his own ears “Damon don’t do this, please. PLEASE!” his voiced boomed as he slammed his hand against the barrier and Damon just looked at him with a vacant expression “You made a mistake, Stefan. I have no humanity” he sneered before twisting her neck and dropping her lifeless body to the floor._

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Stefan woke up with a start, breathing heavily as he took in his surroundings. He took a deep breath when he realized he was in his room and wiped the tears that escaped his eyes from his dream.

“Bad dream? Do you know how easy it was to get into your head just now? You really need some human blood. It might even the playing field. Football reference. Too soon” Damon said in false innocence from the foot of his bed and Stefan grabbed the knife on his night stand and threw it at him, hitting him in the stomach.

Damon groaned at the impact before taking the knife out and wiping off the blood “All right, I deserved that. But I just wanted to let you know, they caught the culprit. The animal responsible for killing coach Tanner and all those people”.

“What are you talking about?” Stefan asked rubbing his eyes and trying to get his mind off that dream. He got out of the bed and put a t-shirt on as he faced his brother.

“It was a mountain lion. Really big one. It attacked a hunter this morning. It’s all over the news. ‘Deadly beast captured. All’s well in Mystic falls’”.

“Why would you cover your tracks?”

“I’ve decided to stay a while. And I’m just having way too much fun here” he said before stabbing Stefan in the stomach. “Aah!” Stefan yelled out in pain as he dropped to the floor.

“This is John Varvatos, dude. Dick move” he said showing him his ruined t-shirt before he walked out the door. Stefan removed the knife from his stomach and dropped it to the floor before reaching for his journal as he watched the news “I can confirm that a 12-foot puma mountain lion attacked a hunter and was subsequently shot and killed. The hunter is in stable condition” Sheriff Forbes was saying as Stefan wrote in his Journal.

_The real animal is still out there, waiting for me, challenging me to fight back, to stop him. But how do I stop a monster without becoming one myself?_

* * *

  **Mystic Grill**

Matt was sitting at the bar filing out a job application when someone walked over to him from the other side of the bar and placed a tray of glasses down on the counter “Matt Donovan. What do you know?” The man said, making Matt look up from his application. Matt smiled when he recognized the guy before him, “Ben McKittrick. What’s up, man?” he said shaking hands with him. Ben used to be the star quarterback of Mystic Falls High School for three years straight before he graduated and moved away after getting a football scholarship.

“Rough season, bud”.

“Yeah. It’s kind of hard to recover when you have to forfeit half your games” Matt said sympathetically and Ben smiled before changing the subject “You gonna be working here?”

“Yep, following in your footsteps, minus the state championship” The team was having a hard time dealing with coach Tanner’s death and Matt was still trying to get used to Stefan being on the team. Ben sighed when he saw his mood change. “Hey I heard about what happened to coach Tanner. I’m really sorry, man”.

“Yeah it really hit the team hard, I don’t know how we’re gonna go on the rest of the season” he said and Ben placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. “It’s going to be okay, man”.

“Yeah”.

“So what’s the plan? Cook line?”

“Busboy”.

Bonnie was sitting at another table running the events of last night over in her mind. Tanner was dead, Damon killed him. What kind of person does that without any remorse? The sound of her phone buzzing in her pocket snapped her out of her thoughts and she pulled it out to see a text from Stefan.

**Where are you?**

**_At the grill, why? Did something happened?_ **

At this point she wouldn’t be surprised if it did, everything seemed to be going wrong ever since Damon showed up and it made her understand more and more why Stefan left to keep him from coming here.

**No, I just want to see you. Stay there, okay?**

And there’s that feeling again, the same one she felt yesterday when she was with him. The one that made her feel like her heart was swelling up.

**_No problem, Salvatore._ **

She stared at her phone for a while after that, just looking at the last text he sent her until she heard someone talking to her. “I’m sorry, what?” she said looking up, coming face to face with Ben McKittrick. She always thought he was gorgeous and she used to have a crush on him back when he was still in high school, but he was an older guy and never noticed her; story of her life and looking at him now he still had the same effect on her.

“I just asked if you’re okay. You’ve been in a daze since you walked in here, Bonnie”.

“Wait. You remember me?” she asked surprised, her voice going high. Her face burnt hot from the embarrassment and thanked God in heaven that he couldn’t see her blush. “I didn’t graduate that long ago. You’re making me feel old” he said with a chuckle.

“No, sorry. I didn’t…I didn’t mean that. I just-I didn’t know you knew me” she stuttered, struggling to get the words out and he just smiled at her, making her breath catch in her throat “I always know a pretty face” he said seductively before walking away and now her ears burnt for a completely different reason.

* * *

  **Salvatore Boarding House**

Zach headed to Stefan’s room to talk to him about the whole Damon situation. When he walked through the door of his room he was taken aback when he saw Damon instead, going through Stefan’s stuff. Zach’s always been scared of Damon, of what he would do when pushed to his limit. They already saw a glimpse of it last night when he killed Tanner for no reason and he didn’t want to give him a chance to do it again, which is why he needed to speak to Stefan.

“I didn’t know you were here” he said cautiously while stepping into the room. “Just going through Stefan’s homework. Boy, this country sure has dumbed down in the last hundred years. Why he wants to go to high school is beyond me. I mean, in the seventies, he went Ivy League. Harvard, I understood. Actually, no I didn’t get that either” he said reconsidering what he just said. “Go ahead, purge. Get it out. What’s on your mind” Damon continued going through his brother’s things, not really paying Zach any mind.

“Why are you here, Damon?”

“To spend time with you, Zach. Family’s important” he said turning around to face him.

“I know you. You always have a motive. So tell me, what is it this time?” He asked and Damon used his vampire speed to get in his face, grabbing Zach by the throat “You are in no position to question me” Damon sneered “I didn’t mean to upset you” Zach said, his voice shaking a little bit.

“What’s going on?” They turned to the sound of Stefan’s voice by the doorway. Damon dropped Zach before giving Stefan an innocent smile “Having a family moment, Stefan. Spending some quality time” he said before leaving them alone. Stefan helped Zach up off the floor “Hey, are you okay?” he asked concerned as he saw the man still holding on to his neck.

Zach yanked himself from Stefan’s grip “No, I’m not and neither are you. How many more people have to die before you see that?”

“I see it. All right, Zach. I see it”.

“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

Stefan sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration “I can’t, Zach. I can’t. It would take human blood. It’s the only way that I could stop him, and I can’t do that” he said feeling defeated.

“The vervain could weaken him if he ingested it. It would help get you the upper hand”.

“Vervain hasn’t grown here since 1865. Damon saw to that. What?” he asked seeing the look on Zach’s face. Zach didn’t say anything and just led him down to the cellar. He opened the door once they reached it and Stefan was shocked to see what was on the other side.

“You’ve been growing it”.

“It’s just something that’s been passed down through the generations. Blood only runs so deep when you’re related to vampires. Damon would kill me if he knew that I had it”.

“But you’re telling me. Why?”

“Because I trust you. And you’re gonna need it if you want to get rid of him”.

* * *

  **Mystic Grill**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I was staring. I knew I was staring, but as hard as I tried I couldn’t take my eyes off the new bartender as he mixed drinks. “Ben McKittrick? Seriously?”

“Aah! Caroline, don’t do that” I almost jumped out of my skin at the sound of her voice. I didn’t even notice her walk up to the table. I finally calmed down enough to relax back into my seat, this whole Damon thing had me more spooked than I realized. “He’s hot” I shrugged.

“He’s a washed-up jock who pours drinks for a living. You could do way better” she said sitting down in the seat in front of me. I rolled my eyes at that “What’s up, Caroline?”

“Are you going to the founder’s party?” she asked and I groaned in frustration. The founder’s party, as if this town didn’t have enough reasons to throw parties.

“I don’t have a date” I shrugged hoping that was enough of an answer for her, but then again this was Caroline Forbes. “Go with Elena”.

“She’s asking Stefan”.

“Okay, go by yourself” she said as if it was no big deal, making me roll my eyes. “Who are you going with? Please don’t say Damon”.

Caroline just shrugged and took a bunch of peanuts from the bowl on the table “Fine” she said before popping them in her mouth.

“Caroline, Damon is a bad guy. Stay away from him”.

“Did your bestie tell you that?”

“I’m serious, Caroline. And he didn’t have to tell me, I can tell” I said getting a little impatient with her uncaring attitude.

“Because of your witchy juju?”

“Caroline!” I snapped, making her jump a little bit. She was so infuriating sometimes and I couldn’t help her if she wouldn’t even listen to me “And no more witch jokes, okay? That whole Mr. Tanner prediction thing has me freaked”.

“Okay, but Damon’s not dangerous. He just has a lot of issues with his brother” That made me roll my eyes. Damon had issues with everyone.

“Is your mom even okay with you bringing Damon?”

“And I’m supposed to care why?” she asked rhetorically as she ate more peanuts. I was about to respond when I spotted Stefan at the corner of my eye. He was standing by the entrance just looking at me. He seemed to snap out of it when our eyes connected, his eyes softening as he charged towards us.

When he got to our table he grabbed me by the shoulders, lifting me from my seat and gave me a bone crushing hug. I was taken aback for a moment before I let myself melt into his arms, my heart melting again. It was the look in his eyes, like he wasn’t okay until he saw me and finally let himself relax.

“Okay, that’s my cue. I refuse to be a third wheel in, whatever this is” I heard Caroline say before she got up and left the table, probably to go pick out her dress for the party.

After a while of just standing there in his arms Stefan finally drew back, but he didn’t let go completely. I looked up at him and saw his eyes shining, which made me worry about what could have happened to make him act this way “Are you okay, Salvatore?” I asked rubbing his sides in comfort, my arms still on his waist.

“I am now” is all he said before he buried his face in my neck again, hugging me.

When he let go again he kissed my forehead and took the seat Caroline was in “Did something happened?” He shook his head “Damon got into my head, but I really don’t want to talk about it. I just want to forget about it, is that okay?” he asked with a pained expression and I knew that whatever Damon did to him really had him scared so I just nodded, letting it go.

“We need to get rid of him, Salvatore. I think he’s done something to Caroline, I just don’t know what and I want her as far away from him as possible” I ranted and Stefan nodded in agreement.

“He’s compelling her, but I promise you, Bonnie, I’ll get her away from him” he said grabbing my hand that’s on the table and rubbing circles at the back of my hand with his thumb and it calmed me down a bit. “How are you? Are you okay?”

He was asking me about last night. He knew I was in bad shape when we parted ways yesterday even though I tried to hide it. “I’m fine, I guess. I really won’t be 100% until he’s gone, but right now I feel safe” I said squeezing the hand that held mine. “Can we change the subject now please?”

“Sure” he said with a smile “You’re going to the founder’s party, right?” he asked and I groaned, letting go of his hand “Not to that”.

“Why what’s wrong?”

“I don’t have a date, Salvatore, okay? And I really don’t want to go by myself”.

“You can join me and Elena, I’m sure she won’t mind” he suggested, but I was already vigorously shaking my head no. “Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. I am not going to be a third wheel on your date with Elena”.

“Well what are you going to do then? Come on, you have to go. It won’t be as much fun without you” he said pleadingly and I hated him for sounding so sincere.

“I’ll go with her” a voice said from beside the table, making us both look up to see Ben. _When did he get here?_ “Sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop” he said rubbing his hands together, he seemed nervous. “It’s just that I was just at the next table and I happened to hear you guys. Anyway I’d love to take you, Bonnie”.

“I don’t need you to take me on a pity date, Ben”.

“It’s not a pity date. I actually really want to go out with you, I just didn’t know how to ask you” he said sincerely as he turned fully towards me. I turned to Stefan again only to find him staring down Ben. I looked at Ben again who was smiling nervously so I put him out of his misery “Sure, Ben. I’d love too” I said and we just smiled at each other. I couldn’t believe I was actually going on a date with Ben McKittrick. We snapped out of our staring contest when I heard Stefan clear his throat next to me. “Oh, I’m being rude. Ben, this is my best friend Stefan Salvatore, Stefan this is Ben McKittrick. He graduated from our school three years ago?” I asked Ben to make sure.

“Yeah, Bonnie was always one of the prettiest girls in school, shy though”.

“Hey! I am not shy, I’m just an introvert” I said, pretending to be offended by the comment. “Yeah okay” he said with a chuckle before turning to look behind him “I should probably go back to the bar, customers aren’t going to pour their own drinks. I’ll pick you up later, Bonnie and it was nice to meet you Stefan” he said before he left and Stefan just responded with incoherent sounds.

“You are being rude”.

“What?”

“You didn’t even talk to him. And you kept glaring at him, What was that about?” I asked folding my arms over my chest and leaning onto my chair. “I don’t trust him”.

“You don’t know him, Stefan!” I said in false laughter.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not right”.

“You’re being jerk right now. I trust him and I’m going to the founder’s party with him” I said getting up from my seat. “Where are you going?” He asked confused.

“I’m leaving, Stefan, what’s it look like?. You know it wouldn’t have hurt for you to show just a little bit of support, but no instead you have to be rude to my date” I said frustrated with him. A guy is finally interested in me and he has to go and be a jerk about it. “I’ll see you at the party” I said and left before he could say anything else.

* * *

  **Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

“Do they still wear ties at this thing?” Damon asked snapping me out of my thoughts. After Bonnie left it took me a second to reconcile what happened. She was right, I was being rude and a jerk, but I couldn’t help myself. When that guy approached our table it was like a switch flipped and all I wanted to do was punch him in the face. “You’re brooding, Stefan. What’s wrong, trouble in paradise?”

“Elena and I are fine, Damon just leave it alone” I said rolling my eyes, I was already dreading seeing Bonnie tonight with that Ben guy, I didn’t need his commentary as well.

“I wasn’t talking about Elena” he said in a sing song voice.

“What are you getting at, Damon?”

“You’re a smart guy, Stefan, you’ll figure it out soon enough” he said as if he knew something I didn’t. “What do you think?” he asked pointing at his tie and I just rolled my eyes at him and continued getting ready.

“It’s cool not growing old. I like being the eternal stud” Damon spoke up again just as I was starting to think I’d gotten some peace and quiet.

“Yes, being a 160-year-old teenager has been the height of my happiness” I said sarcastically.

“You cracked a funny, Stefan. I should have a drink to celebrate” he said pouring himself a glass. He discovered it was spiked with vervain after he smelt it and dumped it on the floor before turning to me “I admire your effort, Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick. You can't roofie me. But I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were having a moment. I have to go to the party angry. Who knows what I'll do?” he said walking out of the room.

Zach walked in right after he left “That was his favorite scotch. I’m sorry, I thought it would work”.

“I wasn’t counting on it” Damon was a lot of things, but he wasn’t an idiot.

“You knew it would fail?”

“Did what I wanted. It lowered his guard. He won’t expect me to try again so soon” I explained and Zach nodded before handing me more vervain.

“I doubled what I put in the scotch”.

* * *

  **Lockwood Residence**

**_General POV_ **

Bonnie wasn’t having as much fun at this party as she thought she would, but then again the fact that she was still mad at Stefan probably had something to do with that, not that she’d ever admit it.

“You look beautiful, I don’t think I said that yet” Ben said warmly, making her smile up at him. She was wearing a long golden dress she got from her grams, she said it was one of her mother’s old dresses and that it was time she had it. Sheila really knew how to make her crumble into a fit of tears when she really wanted to.

“Thank you. It was my mom’s dress” she said shyly before looking down embarrassed that she just admitted that. He placed his thumb and index finger under her chin so she’d look at him “It looks beautiful” he said softly, making her blush.

Stefan and Elena were walking through the doors of the Lockwood mansion when they saw Bonnie with her date. “Is that Ben McKittrick?” Elena asked recognizing her best friend’s date. Bonnie’s always had a crush on that guy and it made her happy that she seemed to be having a good time with him.

“Yeah” Stefan said in a clipped tone, making her turn to him “You know him?”

“We met earlier. I was there when he asked Bonnie out” he said sounding less than pleased.

“Why does it sound like you’re not too happy about that” she said a little worried. If she was being honest she was a little jealous at the amount of time Bonnie and Stefan spent together. Anyone would think they were the ones dating, but she didn’t want to bring it up because despite her growing jealousy she knew that Bonnie would never do anything to hurt her and bringing it up would only hurt her best friend, which was the last thing she wanted.

“I just don’t trust the guy” Stefan said kissing his teeth “I tried telling Bonnie that, but she called me a jerk and now she’s mad at me”.

“Stefan, Bonnie has had a crush on Ben McKittrick since freshman year and for him to finally ask her out, that’s big for her” she said trying to get him to understand Bonnie’s side “Look, Bonnie has been single since forever and she always felt like guys were never into her. Me and Caroline, yes, but never Bonnie Bennett and now her first crush asks her out and her best friend can’t just be happy for her. So yeah I get why she’s mad”.

Stefan felt guilty all of a sudden, he was just trying to look out for her. He didn’t realize he was actually hurting her. He never knew that she went through that, Bonnie was a beautiful person, inside and out, and guys that didn’t want to be with her were idiots.

“Elena will you excuse me? I need to go talk to my best friend”.

“Um, yeah sure I’ll go join Caroline and Damon” she said and sighed feeling a little insecure again as she watched him walk towards Bonnie and her date.

Ben was the first one to spot Stefan heading towards them and looked down at Bonnie who seemed to be distracted by the party. He was curious about what the deal was between the two of them; when Stefan walked into the grill yesterday he seemed to only have eyes for her. He’s never seen a man look at a woman like that before, like if he didn’t have her his whole world would spin off its axis. At first he actually thought they were together until he overheard their conversation and realized he was dating Elena Gilbert. He kinda felt sorry for her because even though the pair seemed unaware of their feelings, their actions said otherwise.

“Hey” Stefan said awkwardly as he reached them and Bonnie looked up at him in surprise before scowling at him. “What do you want, Salvatore?”

“Can we talk, please? In Private?” he asked as he reached forward and touched her arm.

“I’m on a date, Stefan” she said sternly, but didn’t remove his hand from her arm.

“It’s okay, Bonnie. I’ll go get us drinks” Ben said before walking away and Bonnie let Stefan lead her out onto the patio. Bonnie couldn’t help, but feel calmer as the cool air hit her face once they were outside. Stefan closed the door behind him as Bonnie turned to face him with her arms crossed over her chest and an impatient look on her face. Stefan sighed before taking a cautious step closer “I’m sorry, Bonnie”.

“What are you apologizing for exactly, Stefan?” She asked with a furrowed brow and lifted her chin at him.

“For being a jerk about Ben. For hurting your feelings, it was never my intention. I’m going to apologize to Ben too for being rude” he said sincerely and Bonnie finally dropped her arms, her face softening a little.

“So you’re going to support me on this?” she asked skeptical, not really believing he was just going to let this go.

He hesitated before responding “Yes, I will”.

“You hesitated”.

“I didn’t hesitate”.

“Yeah you did, but its fine” She sighed before stepping closer to him “Look Stefan, I know that you want to protect me and I love that cause sometimes I feel like no one really has my back, but that’s taught me to look out for myself, so what I’m saying is that I can take care of myself, okay?”

“Fine, but as long as you know that I’ll always have your back” he said wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a hug. She hugged him back for a moment before pulling back. “I have a date to get back to, Salvatore” she said pulling away from him and heading for the door. Stefan reached out and grabbed her hand before she could get very far “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, Bonnie, inside and out. And if a guy doesn’t see that he’s an idiot” he said without breaking eye contact. Bonnie felt her breath catch in her throat and got that feeling in her heart again.

Stefan couldn’t help but notice how green her eyes were in the moonlight and how warm her hand was in his. He meant every word he said to her and it hurt him that she had insecurities like that. They seemed to gravitate towards each other because next thing they knew they were in each other’s space with Stefan’s free hand touching her cheek as he leaned in slowly.

Bonnie snapped out of the moment just before their lips touched and pulled away, breaking all contact with him. She cleared her throat “Um, Ben’s waiting. I’ll see you, Salvatore”.

She didn’t wait for a response and practically ran back inside, leaving Stefan alone to wonder what just happened.

Bonnie was busy looking for her date while trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart when she walked into the living room only to find Mrs Lockwood yelling at one of her employees “Look around. What’s missing? The flames, the candles” she said gesturing at the unlit candles “Why aren’t they lit? There’s matches in the kitchen” she said before storming out of the living room while the waiter headed in the direction of the kitchen “Bitch” Bonnie muttered before focusing on one of the candles propped up on the wall, thinking about what her grams told her.

When the candle doesn’t light she snorts, thinking how crazy she is for actually entertaining this. She shook her head and started heading towards the door, but spotted a lit candle right by the door. She furrowed her brow at the sight before turning around to see that all the candles had lit up.

A few hours later the party was in full swing and Stefan was dancing with Elena when he saw Damon dragging Caroline outside by her arm. He looked over to where Bonnie was dancing with Ben and noticed her looking at the exit as well before turning towards him, with a fearful look in her eyes.

“Elena, will you excuse me? I have to go handle something real quick. I’ll be right back” he said kissing her cheek and heading for the exit with Bonnie hot on his heel.

Elena looked over at Ben, who was now standing alone on the other end of the room, and sighed.

They saw Damon and Caroline arguing on the lawn and Bonnie charged forward only to be stopped by Stefan’s hand on her arm. She ignored the spark she felt from his touch and looked up at him “Stefan, why’d you stop me he’s hurting her!” she whisper shouted at him.

“I know, but I have a plan and it won’t work if you go charging in there, Okay?” he said trying to reason with her and she calmed down a little bit before turning back to the scene before them just as Damon was sinking his teeth into Caroline’s neck, both of them falling to the ground soon after.

Stefan grabbed Bonnie’s hand and used his super speed to get them to where the pair was “What the hell?” Damon groaned in pain as he got weaker.

“You know, I couldn’t spike your drink…So I spiked hers” Stefan said before snapping his brother’s neck.

“Is he dead?” Bonnie asked from behind him and Stefan shook his head as he slung him over his shoulder “He’ll wake up in a few hours, but I’ll already have him locked away by then”.

“What are you going to do with him?”

“I’m gonna desiccate him. Do you want me to take you home?”

“No, I’m going to stay with Caroline, make sure she’s okay” She said looking down at her unconscious friend. Stefan placed a free hand on her shoulder, getting her attention again “Everything’s going to be okay, Bonnie” he said and she nodded as she took a calming breath.

“I better go before anyone sees us”.

“I’ll see you, Salvatore” She responded before he was gone and it was just her and Caroline.

A while later Caroline finally woke up and Bonnie helped her sit up “Are you okay?” She asked concerned about her friend.

“Yeah. I’m fine” she said weakly as she thought about what happened to her and started shaking. “No. You’re shaking. Caroline-”

“I’m fine!” She yelled as tears started streaming down her face uncontrollably and Bonnie felt her own tears sting her eyes as she reached for her friend “Caroline, come here, come here” she breathed as she hugged her friend while she cried in her arms.

* * *

  **Lockwood Residence**

**_General POV_ **

“Thank you for staying so late” Mr. Lockwood said as the council sat down for their late night meeting. This morning they covered up people’s deaths on the news by saying that it was a mountain lion when in actual fact they knew exactly what was killing people, after all, they’ve been dreading this for years.

“We’re going to need the Gilbert watch” Sheriff Forbes spoke up.

“I can get it” Logan fell, the news reporter, who interviewed the Sheriff, said. Back in high school he used to date Elena Gilbert’s Aunt Jenna and he knew that she still had a soft spot for him which he planned to exploit.

“Are you sure it’s them?” Mrs. Lockwood asked the Sheriff hoping their concerns were for nothing.

“Five Bodies all drained of blood? I’m certain”.

“They’ve come back”.


	10. Secrets He Keeps

**The Bennett Residence**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

_Dear Diary_

_My whole life I’ve felt like I was different, like I was a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit anywhere. Then I met Stefan and all of a sudden it didn’t matter that I didn’t fit anywhere because neither did he, but we seemed to fit each other, completing our own little puzzle. And now, now things are complicated and both our puzzle pieces seem to be changing and I have no idea if they’ll ever fit again._

“Ugh! I don’t know how Stefan does this” I mumbled to myself as I ripped the page off of my neglected diary. I sucked at writing my feelings down, but I needed an outlet to express my frustration. That used to be Elena, but seeing as I almost kissed her boyfriend I figured that was out of the question and I felt guilty just thinking about it, and his constant texting didn’t help the situation.

“Baby, you’re going to be late for school!” I heard my grams yell from downstairs. I haven’t told her about the candle incident at the Lockwood party three days ago and I was probably living in denial, but I wasn’t a witch, I couldn’t be. I quickly tossed my diary onto my night stand and grabbed my backpack, heading downstairs.

* * *

 

  **The Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I headed to the cellar to go check on my brother before leaving for school. Zach and I have had him down there for three days now, keeping him close to the vervain so he couldn’t escape. I spent the rest of the weekend keeping an eye on him and sending Bonnie texts she wouldn’t respond to. The first few were just me apologizing for what almost happened between us, even though I felt off about apologizing for it. I don’t know how to explain it, but in that moment when it was just me and her it was the most content I’ve felt in over a hundred years. Anyway I freaked her out and now she’s avoiding me, but not for long because she’d have to face me at school. I’d rather not go into detail about the other texts I sent her, all I can say is it was like going through the five stages of grief.

“Where’s my ring” Damon groaned from the other side of the cellar door as I reached it and peaked inside. He was still in the suit he wore at the party, minus the blazer and he looked even worse than when I first put him in there, the hunger on top of the vervain made him look like he was slowly withering away, which he was.

“Won’t be needing it anymore” I said as he attempted to sit up more, using the wall to keep himself up.

“How long have I been here?”

“Three days”.

“What are you doing?” He asked finally making eye contact through the bars that were on the door.

“During the dark ages when a vampire’s actions threatened to expose or bring harm upon the entire race, they would face judgment. They sought to reeducate them rather than punish them” I explained.

“You know what will happen if I don’t…feed on blood” the last part came out as a groan, but I heard him anyway.

“You’ll grow weaker and weaker. Eventually you won’t be able to move or speak. In a week your skin will desiccate, and you’ll mummify. A living corpse. Unable to hurt anyone. Ever” I said thinking about the nightmare he put me through.

“So what, you’re just going to leave me in the basement forever?”

“I’ve injected you with enough vervain to keep you weak. Once your circulation stops, I’ll move you to the family crypt, and then in 50 years, we can reevaluate”.

“I’m stronger than you think”.

“You always have been. But you’re not stronger than the vervain. And we both know it. I’m sorry. Didn’t have to be this way” I said before turning to leave him alone and headed back upstairs.

* * *

 

  **The Gilbert Residence**

**_Elena’s POV_ **

I quickly made my way towards the kitchen after and awkward encounter with Vicki in the Bathroom I shared with Jeremy. _At least he’s getting some_ I thought bitterly as I thought about my so called relationship. Dating Stefan Salvatore was so frustrating, it was like we’d take a step forward, only to take two steps back and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, Bonnie was a big reason why. I felt a twinge of guilt even thinking about it because Bonnie is my best friend.

I shook my head, trying to clear it as I walked into the kitchen and found Jenna drinking her coffee by the sink “Jenna! Are you aware of what’s going on upstairs?” I asked as I reached for the pot to make myself a cup of coffee.

“Uh-huh” she said into her coffee mug, “And you have no objection?” I turned to her with a brow lifted in question. She shrugged and pushed herself off the sink so she’d lean against the counter with her elbows on the countertop “He could be craftier about it, at least make an effort to sneak her in and out. Oh, and just so you know, I won’t be home for dinner”.

“Oh, so you’re actually going to do it. You’re going to go out with Logan” I said giving her a sly smile. I knew she was attracted to him, all that animosity came from physical attraction.

“I’m going to show up and torture him, yes. And have you heard from Stefan?”

“Not since he left that very vague message three days ago” I started before changing my voice to mimic him “Hi, um, Elena, I, um, have something I have to do. I’ll, uh, explain in a few days”.

Jenna gave me a sympathetic look, which I really didn’t need right now. What I needed were answers.

“Haven’t you called him?”

“Nope. Not going to either”.

“And you’re okay with everything?”

“No, I’m not okay with any of it” I sighed in frustration “I just feel like he’s pulling away from me, or maybe he was never mine to begin with and I just couldn’t see it before until now” I said unknowingly voicing my thoughts and fears. Jenna didn’t say anything, she didn’t have to. She knew exactly what I was talking about, everyone did.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

“He’s awake. He’s weak, but it’s probably best to stay out of the basement. He’s Damon. I’m not sure how dangerous he still might be” I told Zach as I grabbed my bag from the couch preparing to leave.

“You’re going to school?”

“Yeah. I gotta check in with Bonnie, her powers are starting to manifest themselves, and she’s trying to act like it doesn’t bother her, but I know it’s freaking her out” I said being partially honest, I hadn’t told Zach about what happened at the founder’s party and I just felt guilty because the only person I should be wanting to kiss is my girlfriend, who I’ve been neglecting. I sighed, slinging my bag over my shoulder “And I haven’t spoken to Elena in three days, she’s probably worried. I just hope she’s still speaking to me”.

“You haven’t called her?”

“No…”

“If you’re serious about her why don’t you just tell her?”

“You sound just like Bonnie” I said before heading out the door. _This is going to be a long day._

* * *

 

**Forbes Residence**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I went to go check on Caroline before heading to school. She was in really bad shape Saturday night and I just wanted to make sure she was okay, but then again she’s Caroline Forbes, she always bounces back. It’s actually one of the things I admired about her. I was currently sitting on her bed as she ran around the room trying to get ready. “Are you sure you want to go to school?” I asked concerned as I focused on the candle in my hands. I grabbed it when I walked into the house and I couldn’t help but try to light it. I realized I was obsessed, but I couldn’t help it.

“Tomorrow is the sexy suds car wash, Bonnie and if you think that I’m leaving the planning of it in the hands of any of you guys, you are sadly mistaken” she sassed, making me chuckle. It was quiet for a bit before I noticed that Caroline wasn’t running around anymore and was instead looking right at me “I remember the party. Damon came up behind me and he was kissing my neck, or biting my neck. I passed out” she started before groaning in frustration “It’s like there’s holes in my memory lately. It’s just weird. Maybe let him bite me”.

“Why would you do that?” I felt really bad for what happened to Caroline, she didn’t deserve what happened to her and thank God for Stefan, he may just have saved her life.

“Can we just not talk about it, okay? Don’t want to talk about Damon. I don’t want to talk about any of it. Just want to go back to normal” she said before noticing the candle in my hand “What are you doing with that candle?”

“Um…nothing. Come on let’s go” I said dropping the candle onto the bed before we left for school.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High School**

**_General POV_ **

Bonnie and Elena watched as their perky friend floated around the hallway sprouting out instructions to everyone in front of her. Bonnie filled her in on the whole Caroline/Damon debacle, leaving some things out of course, Stefan would tell her those himself and hopefully soon because keeping this secret was becoming harder and harder, especially with the stuff that was going on with her.

“The sexy suds car wash is tomorrow. The football team and the band have committed. Well, not all the band. Just the ones who could pull off the bikini. I want, in your face, sexy. I mean, it’s a fundraiser, for goodness’ sakes” they heard Caroline say to Tikki, one of the cheerleaders.

“Unbelievable. It’s like nothing happened” Elena said shaking her head in disbelief. “She’s in denial”.

“Hey” they turned around at the sound of Stefan’s voice behind them, both with different reactions at his sudden appearance. Elena wasn’t sure how to feel, on the one hand she was still upset with him for not communicating with her while also being cautious of him and Bonnie, especially after her mini rant this morning and on the other hand she just wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him until neither of them could breathe.

Bonnie seemed to shrink back into herself, images of their almost kiss popping into her head, making her feel guilty all over again. “Hey. You know, I gotta go. Be somewhere right now” she said quickly before scurrying off and Stefan sighed, so she really was avoiding him. He wanted to go after her, but decided against it when he saw the questioning look in Elena’s eyes over what that was about before she shook her head deciding not to say anything and Stefan was grateful for her silence on the matter.

“I’m sorry I haven’t called”.

“No worries. I’ll live” she said brushing it off as if it didn’t affect her. “I was dealing with Damon”.

“And did you…deal with Damon?”

“Yes. Yeah”.

“For four days?”

“You have every right to be upset with me. But can I explain it all to you? Please?” he asked pleadingly and she caved “Sure. When?”

“I gotta be home after school, but The Grill, around four o’clock?”

“Okay”

“Thanks” he said and saw Caroline heading towards them “Stefan, where is Damon? He has some serious apologizing to do”.

“He’s gone, Caroline”.

“When is he coming back?”

“He’s not coming back. I’m sorry” he said and left them alone, in search of a Bennett witch.

“This is a good thing, Caroline” Elena said rubbing circles on Caroline’s back “I know that”.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

**_Elena’s POV_ **

I walked into The Grill, but couldn’t see Stefan anywhere. He still had five minutes so he’d better get here soon. I saw Matt cleaning up one of the tables and decided to go say hi, I feel like I haven’t spoken to him in forever “Hey, Matt, um, have you seen Stefan?”

“Nope. If you want to kill some time, um, you can rack. Come on. We haven’t played in forever. I’ll let you break” he said hopefully, and really what was a few games of pool while I waited for Stefan.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I stood outside ready to face him. I’ve been dodging him all day and he’s respected the fact that I needed space because he stopped trying to talk to me at around lunch time. Once I stopped hiding I was finally able to think straight and in all reality I couldn’t avoid Stefan forever, he was my protector after all and my best friend.

I was about to knock on the door when it opened and revealed the person I’ve been dreading to see. He had the most relieved smile on his face that I almost felt guilty for avoiding him for three days, almost.

“Hey, Bonnie” he said softly and I hated him for making me so aware of him now, which is why I started punching at his chest as I punctuated every word that came out of my mouth “WHAT. THE. HELL. IS. WRONG. WITH. YOU?!” I yelled with each punch, getting even angrier at the fact the he just stood there because I couldn’t even hurt him because he was a stupid vampire. I stopped once I’d worn myself out and just looked up at him as I tried to catch my breath.

“Are you done now?” And that right there was all the momentum I needed to start punching him again while making sounds of frustration that even I wasn’t familiar with until he grabbed my arms, halting my assault. “Bonnie! Bonnie, stop!” he yelled until I finally stopped squirming in his arms. I yanked my arms from him once I was calm enough to realize that I was way closer to him than was appropriate and took a step back.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in what I’ve come to learn that it meant he was stressed “Would you like to come in so we can talk about this like civil human beings?”

“Are you insane? I’m not stepping foot inside this house while your brother is in there” I said crossing my arms over my chest.

“We have him locked in the basement so he can’t hurt you”.

“I don’t care, I’m not going in there” I said with a determined look. Damon was unpredictable and there was no way in hell I’d be anywhere in that house if he went loose.

Stefan shrugged “Fine, we’ll talk out here then” he said and closed the door behind him “I’m sorry, Bonnie. I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you”. He sat on the wall of the veranda and looked at me.

“Stefan, you have a girlfriend” I started as I sat down next to him, ignoring the rapid beating of my heart. I told myself it was because of all the punching and overexerting myself.

“I know”.

“Who is my best friend and who I really don’t want to get hurt. Are you going to hurt my friend, Stefan?” I asked trying to get him to look up at me again. He seemed to be thinking about something and I’ve never wished to be able to read minds more than I did at this moment, but the thoughtful look was gone before I could try to decipher it. “No, I won’t hurt your friend. I won’t hurt you either” he said his eyes boring into mine with a look so intense that I had to look away. “Good” I said quickly, getting up, but he grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

“I don’t want things to be awkward between us, Bonnie” he said and I could tell he wanted to say more, but stopped himself. I smiled softly at him because I didn’t want things to be awkward either and I didn’t want to lose him “They won’t be” I assured him and he returned the smile before getting up to give me a warm hug. I melted in his arms as he buried his face in my hair, but I quickly cleared the fog being around him seemed to create and cleared my throat before pulling away from him, getting ready to leave.

“I’ll see you, Salvatore”.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

**_Elena’s POV_ **

“And there’s Vicki, all nonchalant in the bathroom like it’s no big deal that they’re hooking up” I told Matt, catching him up on this morning’s events and he shuddered as he thought about it “Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. Your brother and my sister, that’s weird”.

“Yeah” I said as my phone rang in my pocket, probably a text from Stefan apologizing for being late, but I ignored it. “How late is he?”

“Hitting the hour mark. Nothing’s wrong though. Which means I’m not talking boy problems with you” I said as I shot the cue ball. In the last hour I’ve only managed to beat Matt once, but I was off my game because of the whole Stefan thing so he didn’t rub it in as much.

“Good. I mean, it’s not like we were ever best friends or anything” he said sarcastically, which made me feel kinda guilty because he was right, before we ever dated we were best friends and we could talk about anything. _When did that change?_

“Okay. Here goes- What do you think of Stefan? Is he a good guy?”

“Why? What’s he done?”

“Not any one thing. He’s just so secretive all the time. I think there’s something that he doesn’t want me to know, which makes me want to know all the more” I said, not even pretending to focus on the game anymore.

“Like what? Like that he’s a serial killer and keeps a clown suit in his trunk?” _Jokes? Really, Matt?_

“No of course not. But what do we know about him, really?”

“Maybe this is a conversation you should be having with Bonnie, I mean, they have history” Matt suggested and I had to fight to not roll my eyes.

“Are you kidding me? Those two are practically attached at the hip, he’s probably with her right now” I said, not meaning to sound bitter or jealous, but Matt picked up on it anyway.

“Whoa, did I pluck a nerve?”

“You didn’t pluck anything, Matt” I said, but he wasn’t convinced “Elena, you know Bonnie would never do anything to hurt you, right?”

“Yeah, I know” I said deflating, because I did know. I just don’t know what’s going on with me lately. “I’m probably just being paranoid”.

“If you won’t talk to Bonnie then maybe you should talk to him”.

“Talk to who?” Stefan asked from behind us “I’m so sorry that I’m late” he said before kissing my cheek.

“What happened?”

“I got held up”. _There he goes with the secrecy again_.

“Is everything okay?”

“I had to clear things up with Bonnie” he said, I gave Matt a quick ‘I told you so’ look and he ran his hand down his face probably because of the grave Stefan was busy digging himself.

“And you couldn’t call and tell me that you were going to be an hour late?” I asked frustrated, and what could they possibly have been talking about that made him so late after he asked me to meet up. “Okay. You two have fun” Matt said before making a run for it.

“I’m really sorry, Elena”. I was so sick of him apologizing, I just wanted the truth, was that too much to ask?

“What are you hiding from me, Stefan?” I asked, done tiptoeing around the problem. When he didn’t respond I sighed and headed for the door with Stefan chasing after me when an old man stopped him “I know you” he said and that made me stop and turn around.

“I’m sorry?”

“I know you. How can it be?” the man asked, he looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“I think you have the wrong person, sir”.

“You haven’t aged a day” the old man continued as if Stefan hadn’t said a word.

“I’m sorry, excuse me” Stefan said walking passed the old man and straight towards me “Hey, can we…can I take you home and we can talk about it? Is that okay?” he asked guiding me towards the exit, but I wasn’t having it. I wanted to know what the heck just happened “Wait, what was that?”

“I-I don’t know. Uh, nothing” Stefan Salvatore was a really bad liar, but he wasn’t about to tell me the truth either so what was the point.

“Right, nothing. Okay, um…I gotta go, Stefan. Excuse me” I said and left him standing there.

* * *

 

**Bennett Household**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

“Cooking? You think that will help?” I asked Bonnie from my spot on the island chair. We were in her kitchen while she cooked dinner for herself and Sheila. Her dad was out of town again so Sheila decided to stay with her after what happened at the football game.

I was glad that we were okay again, she was happy so I was happy even though there were so many things I left unsaid after our talk. I didn’t want to scare her off again and I didn’t want to put her in a position where she’d hurt Elena so I kept my mouth shut and I just enjoyed having her in my arms. The truth is I’m starting to gain perspective on a lot of things, like how I’m not really sorry about our almost kiss and about how I really want to kiss her, but I couldn’t because Bonnie was incredibly loyal and she would hate me for it, and I couldn’t live in a world where I was hated by Bonnie Bennett.

I really like Elena, but what I feel for Bonnie is a lot deeper and I think the reason I went for Elena was because of the obvious physical attraction I felt towards her, it reminded me of when I first met Katherine. I guess I thought since Elena was different that maybe I could have the relationship with her that I could’ve had with Katherine if she didn’t turn out to be a vampire and now I was in a mess I didn’t know how to get myself out of.

After Elena left the grill I went to Bonnie and told her what happened. Honestly I just wanted to be around her, but for some reason she was so invested in making my relationship with Elena work. It hurt that she didn’t seem to feel the same way about me and now here we were, in her kitchen with her trying to give me advice on how to get Elena to forgive me.

“It’s the way to a woman’s heart, besides you’re a great cook and you’re Italian. Come on that’s a great combination” she said waving her wooden spoon around.

“Actually I’m a great cook because I’m Italian, besides what’s that got to do with anything?”

“Devi solo sfruttare le tue radici italiane, Salvatore” _You just have to tap into your italian roots, Salvatore._

“I knew I’d regret teaching you Italian” I mumbled loud enough for her to hear and she hit me with the spoon she was holding, making me chuckle as I grabbed it, pulling it from her grasp.

“All I’m saying is she will dump your ass if you don’t at least give her something, anything; you don’t have to tell her everything at once”.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

**_General POV_ **

Logan Fell walked into The Grill for his date with Jenna Sommers when he saw Sheriff Forbes sitting at one of the tables and decided to go check in about the status of the vampires. “Evening Sheriff, anything?” he asked as he sat down.

“We went over the entire west side of the lake. All the caverns by the falls were clean, no signs of habitat”.

“Then they’re staying in town”.

“We canvassed all abandoned buildings and warehouses”.

“There has to be a private residence” he said. If they weren’t in any of the abandoned houses then they were living amongst them and they didn’t even know it. They also didn’t notice someone listening to their conversation from the bar.

“And that much harder to locate, if not impossible. These creatures are smart, they know how to go undetected”.

“Well, someone who only comes out at night should eventually become obvious”.

“What about the watch?” She asked him and he sighed because he hasn’t gotten it yet “I’m working on it”.

“I know the Gilberts. That watch is passed down to the men in the family. I’d start with Jeremy” she said and left just as Jenna was walking into The Grill “Hey, Logan”.

“I can’t believe you really came” he said pulling out her seat for her.

“You have an hour. Make it count”.

* * *

 

**Gilbert Household**

**_Elena’s POV_ **

I groaned into my pillow as I fell face down on my bed. I hated myself for being so affected by a guy I’ve only known for a few weeks. “You okay?” I heard Jeremy ask and lifted my head so I could look at him. He was standing against the door of the bathroom that connected to his room and my brain went to this morning “Is Vicki in there?” I asked cautiously, afraid of the answer.

“Don’t answer a question with another question. Maybe. What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m miserable”.

“Well, you should go get something to eat” he said before disappearing into his bedroom and I sighed and got out of bed. I heard a ruckus in the kitchen and thought it was Aunt Jenna until I remembered that she was on a date with Logan. I walked into the kitchen and sighed in relief when I saw that it was Stefan and not some robber, but I didn’t know what he was doing here.  “Stefan? What are you doing here?”

“Dinner. Jeremy told me that Chicken Parmesan is one of your favorites, and I happen to be a good cook. The Italian roots demand it. I can make my own homemade mozzarella. Only tonight, it’s unfortunately store bought. Sorry” he said showing me the packet as I sat down at the table.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish”.

“You want to know me, right? Well, I figure if you're going to dump me, you should at least, um, know who you're dumping. So let's start with Katherine”.

“Stefan…” I don’t know how I was going to finish that thought because I really wanted to know, and he seemed to want to tell me.

“She was...the most beautiful girl that I had ever met. She had this perfect olive skin. And she had this laugh. It was ridiculous. I mean, her laugh made you laugh. And she was fun. She knew how to have a good time. But Katherine was also very impatient and entitled and selfish, and, um, impulsive. Enter Damon. He claims that he was with her first. I don't know. I do know that I did some things that...I'm not proud of, which ruined my relationship with my brother” he said thinking about it seemed to cause him pain, but I wasn’t sure if that was regret over what happened with Katherine or what happened with his brother, maybe both. I got up from my seat to go help him chop the garlic while he continued.

“I'm an avid reader, a huge Fitzgerald fan, ‘The Great Gatsby’, his masterpiece. But I'm no snob. I love some good Grisham. I think ‘Seinfeld’ is the best American television show for the past 50 years, but ‘I Love Lucy’ is all-time. ‘The loving cup’ episode was the best, I think. Huge Scorsese fan. I can watch ‘Taxi Driver’ over and over again”.

“Bonnie is obsessed with Fitzgerald” I said thinking about all the times I’ve been in her room, you just had to walk in there and you’d know.

Stefan chuckled probably thinking the same thing and I couldn’t help but notice how his eyes sparkled brighter in the light all of a sudden “Who do you think got her into it?” he said with a smirk and I just rolled my eyes “I hope you know you’ve created a monster”.

He just shrugged before continuing “As far as music, it's pretty much across the board. Um, Dylan, Hendrix, Patsy, Willie. A little Kanye. You know what? I even like that one Miley song” he said and I smirked at him.

“Easy”.

“I didn't say anything. Hey, this is for the garlic bread, right? Because I'm not eating garlic unless you agree to, too”.

“Are you kidding me? I love garlic” he said and I lost focus for a second, which resulted in me cutting my finger with the knife. “Ow! Ahh” I cried out in pain and headed to the sink to wash off my hand. When I looked up I saw Stefan’s reflection in the window, and blinked as I saw his face change, or at least I think that’s what I saw. “Your face…” I breathed as I turned around, but he quickly covered his eyes with his hand.

“I-I, uh, I think I got something in my eye” he said rubbing them. I reached up to remove his hand from his face, but he evaded my touch “Stefan. Hey. Stefan!” I said trying to get him to look at me and when he did his face was normal. _Okay I’m going completely insane._

“Um, I think my paranoia has turned into full-blown hallucinations” I said looking out the window again before turning back to look at him again. “Part of your charm” he replied taking my face into his hands, but hesitated to kiss me so I took matters into my own hands and kissed him first.

* * *

 

**Forbes Residence**

**_General POV_ **

Caroline was in her room in bed busy speaking on the phone with one of her cheerleaders when she heard someone call her name. Her mom was still at work, which wasn’t surprising and she was at the house by herself so there was no way someone could be calling her, which meant her mind was playing tricks on her so she ignored it and continued speaking to Tiki.

“No, Tiki, do not do the one-piece, okay? I’ve seen it on you. Trust me. Yeah, but you’re going for stripper pole vibe this year”.

“Caroline” Damon called to her again and still nothing. “Yeah, maybe we should cash the cars in slow motion. No”.

“Caroline”.

“What? Oh, um, no, sorry. Um, so I’ll just see you tomorrow. Two-piece. Okay, bye” she hung up and saw a crow at her window. She got out of bed to chase it away so she could close the window and couldn’t help the uneasy feeling she got as she got back in bed.


	11. You're Undead To Me

**Sexy Suds Car Wash**

**_General POV_ **

“No friend discounts. No freebies. No pay ya laters. We are not running a charity here. No, we are not” Caroline was in dictator mode and Elena knew better than to argue with her when she got like this so she just nodded and agreed with everything she said “No, we are not”. She woke up so happy this morning that nothing was going to spoil her mood, the dinner she had with Stefan was exactly what they needed to get back on track and she hoped it would stay that way.

“Hey” Stefan greeted from behind her, making her giddy as she turned around. “Hey!” she said with a goofy smile on her face.

“The event is called sexy suds, you know” Caroline said undermining their outfits before walking away to go handle more important busy than a couple that refuses to follow the rules.

“Did we just get scolded?” Stefan asked taken aback by the blonde’s outburst and Elena was already nodding her head at him “And judged, yeah” she said.

“Wow”.

“I’m sorry, but I guess you’re going to have to take that off” she said yanking on his shirt. “I think you have to go first” he said and she pulled off her shirt, but it got stuck so Stefan helped her out. She blushed feeling embarrassed once they’d taken in off “Okay, um- sorry, so not sexy. Ugh”.

“I disagree” Stefan said before kissing her lips softly.

On the other side of the parking lot Bonnie watched her two best friends talk and laugh with each other, ignoring the sick feeling at the pit of her stomach. Everything was as it should be, it’s what was best for everyone. She turned her head and saw Matt with a pained look on his face as he looked at the couple as well and sighed “Uh-uh, no. None of that tortured pining stuff”.

“I’m just observing”.

“Mm-hmm. Oh Tiki, this one’s yours” she said to the cheerleader next to her as a another car parked in front of them and the owner got out.

“Why do I always get the homely ones? Just to be clear, your car's a P.O.S. I mean, we can wash it, but it's still a P.O.S”.

“You don’t have to be rude” Bonnie reprimanded before giving the owner an apologetic smile as he walked away, ignoring the comment.

“Rude is uglying up the road with that junk” she responded and Bonnie unknowingly used her powers to splash water on Tiki as she tried to use the hose.

“Whoa! What the hell?” Tiki screamed and Bonnie snapped out of it, did she do that?

“Wet and wild, Tik” Matt said laughing at her.

Stefan was busy washing one of the cars when Elena approached him “You’re getting soap in that” she said drawing his attention to the ring on his finger “Oh, it’s fine”.

“I noticed that Damon has one, too. Is there a story behind it?” she asked taking his hand in hers and examining the unusual ring. “Yeah, it’s the family crest from the Italian renaissance”.

“Hmm. What’s the stone?”

“It’s called lapis lazuli”.

“Oh. You should really take it off. I could put it in my bag” she said reaching for it, but Stefan withdrew his hand from her “No, it’s…it’s fine, really. Thanks, though” he said rubbing his wet hands against his pants.

“Okay. I’m gonna get some towels” she said and went to Caroline, who was manning the stand “Hey, we’re out of towels and those shimmy things”.

“I’ll go get some more. Mind the money” Caroline said before leaving. She was walking through the halls of the school when she saw a shadow and heard Damon’s voice “Caroline. Caroline, help me. Caroline, help me. Help me”.

“That’ll be $20” Elena said before looking up at the old man she recognized from yesterday at the grill. “I saw you last night. You were talking to a friend of mine. At the grill?” she asked hoping he remembered.

“Well, I…I thought it was somebody I knew”.

“Stefan Salvatore” Elena supplied helpfully and the man shook his head “Nah, it can’t be. It’s just my mind playing tricks on me”.

“Where did you think you’d seen him before?” she asked pushing, all the secrecy was getting to her and the more she didn’t know, the more she wanted to find out. “When I first moved here, I stayed at the Salvatore boarding house. Stefan was just passing through to visit his uncle. I mean, none of us knew he was even here until the attack”.

“The attack?” She asked confused.

“His uncle got killed. Mauled by an animal in the woods”.

“His uncle? Zach?” she asked none of this making sense. She hadn’t personally met Zach, but she knew he was alive.

“Mm-mmm. Joseph”.

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t think I’m familiar with the story” She said, not aware of Stefan ever having an Uncle Joseph who was killed, but maybe Bonnie knew. She’d ask her later.

“Oh, how could you? I mean, this happened years ago”.

“Grandpa, you gotta go. Mom wants you home, okay?” Tiki said approaching them “He wasn’t bugging you, was he? He’s a little alzy-heimer” she said directing her grandfather towards his car.

“No, he was sweet” Elena said getting up from her seat to talk to the old man some more before he left “Hey sir, I’m sorry. Um, are you sure that the man that you saw, that you knew, his name was Stefan Salvatore?”

“Yes. I remember his ring and his brother-”.

“Damon?” Elena asked cutting him off. “Yeah, Stefan and Damon Salvatore” he said remembering it all clearly now.

“When was this?”

“It was early June, 1953. Yeah. June, 1953” the man said before leaving Elena alone with her thoughts, that she didn’t even notice Stefan walk up to where she was now standing alone “Caroline finally freed you, huh?”

“Uh, I don’t know where she went. She abandoned me. Hey, I realized earlier, I had no idea that your family was from Italy”.

“No? Last name Salvatore didn’t do it for you?” he asked playfully and she face-palmed “Right. Duh. Are there any other Salvatores in Mystic Falls?”

“My uncle Zach”.

“Where did everyone else go?”

“Kinda just spread out. Why?”

“I’m just trying to learn more about you” she said giving him a hug, determined to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_General POV_ **

Caroline entered the boarding house and headed straight for the basement where she heard Damon’s voice “Caroline, help me. Caroline. Help me”.

“Damon?” she asked as she got to the door and peeped through the bars only to see him leaning against the wall barely conscious “Oh my gosh! What is this? How did I know that you were here?”

“Because I wanted you to. Very, very badly. Let me out of here please” he said pleading for her to listen to him. “You bit me”.

“You liked it. Remember?”

“Why do I keep remembering the same things, but in different ways?” she asked confused. Her mind was messed up and she wasn’t sure what was real anymore.

“You remember what I want you to remember. And now that the vervain has passed out of your system, you won't remember what you're about to do”.

“What am I about to do?”

“You’re gonna open the door. You’re gonna open the door” he said willing her to do it with what was left of his abilities and she reached for the door, unlocking it before Zach showed up.

“No! No! Get out of here” he ran to stop her, but was too late because Damon was already at the door, pushing it open. Caroline ran away scared while Damon caught Zach and snapped his neck. He ran after Caroline, but got burnt by the sun when she opened the door and ran out

* * *

 

**Sexy Suds Car Wash**

“Sweeper duty” Tiki said handing Bonnie a broom to clean the pavement “What?”

“We have to clean the pavement” she said and Bonnie rolled her eyes at her “It’s a car wash. By definition, the pavement’s clean”.

“But not dry” she said starting to annoy Bonnie “And I’m doing this why?”

“Caroline bailed, so that leaves me in charge. Fabulous”

Tiki left Bonnie standing there pissed off when the next thing she knows Tiki’s car is on fire in front of her and Stefan is shaking her trying to get her to snap out of it “Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie! Hey”.

“What just happened?” she asked frightened as she clutched onto his sides. “You were in some kind of a trance” He explained and watched as her fear turned to horror.

“Did I do this?” she asked what she already knew, but hoped he’d tell her that something else set Tiki’s car on fire.

“I think so, yeah” he said and Bonnie broke down in his arms as she finally accepted what she was. “Shh. Come on let’s go” he said as he hugged her, trying to calm her down before leading her to his car

He was going to tell Elena he was leaving, but she disappeared on him and he didn’t have the time to go around looking for her.

* * *

 

**TV Station**

**_Elena’s POV_ **

“We digitized all our archives last year. You can pull all the remote footage right up on screen. What is it exactly you're looking for?” Logan asked as he pulled up the archives. I left the car wash early when I saw Jenna talking to him and asked for a favor. Logan was a news anchor so he’d be the person to ask about past news stories. I had to find out for myself if what the old man said was true, and if it was then I’d have a lot more questions than answers.

“An incident from 1953. If it even happened-at the old Salvatore Boarding House”. Logan’s phone went off and he looked at who was calling, it must’ve been important because he excused himself soon after and answered it “Yeah? Fire? All right, be right there” he said before he hung up “I gotta go. You believe there's actual news to cover in this town?” he asked before showing me how it works “All right, use keywords to search the database. It's pretty easy to navigate. And Brady down in tech will help you out with anything you need”.

“Okay”.

“All right?” he asked, turning to leave before he thought of something “Oh, hey. Could you put in a good word for me with Jenna?”

“You got it”.

“All right. Good luck” he said before he left.

It took her a bit of time to finally find some footage of on the events of 1953, but she did.

“This is Franklin Fell reporting to you from the Salvatore Boarding House, where a brutal animal attack has ended in tragedy” The reporter said before turning around to face the house “Ok, they're bringing out the bodies. See if you can get closer. Is that the nephew?” he said as the camera zoomed in on the man standing on the veranda of the house and Elena recognized him instantly, his hair was different, but that was undoubtedly Stefan Salvatore in the background.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Stefan and Bonnie walked into the Boarding house and Bonnie immediately felt uneasy, something wasn’t right. “Zach’s supposed to be here” Stefan said from beside her confirming her suspicion. “He’s supposed to be watching Damon. Something’s wrong, come on” he said grabbing her hand and they ran down to the basement to find Zach dead and the door open, which meant Damon was gone.

“Zach!” Bonnie cried as she got on her knees “Oh, no, Zach…” she sobbed over his body. Stefan knelt down next to her, feeling responsible for Zach’s death as he wrapped his arms around Bonnie’s shoulder and she cried on his chest.

A while later Bonnie stopped crying and they just sat there until Stefan spoke up “You want me to take you to Sheila?” he asked softly into her hair and she shook her head no “Not right now” she whispered back still looking down at Zach’s body as fresh tears stung her eyes “It’s just a lot, you know?” she said looking up at him as a tear escaped from her eye. He wiped it away and drew her back to his chest “Yeah, I know”.

* * *

 

**Gilbert Residence**

_Dear Diary_

_I’m not a believer. People are born, they grow old, and then they die. That’s the world we live in. There’s no magic, no mysticism, no immortality. There’s nothing that defies rational thought._

“Logan? Logan?” Jenna called out from downstairs, but the news reporter already snuck into the younger Gilbert’s room and stole his watch.

_People are supposed to be who they say they are and not lie or hide their true selves._

“What are you doing here?” Jeremy asked the man that was in his room without permission. He left Vicki at the cemetery with her friends after deciding he’d had enough of partying for one night. “Oh hey, man. Just looking for the bathroom” he said walking out of the room and headed in the direction Jeremy pointed him to.

_It’s not possible. I’m not a believer, I can’t be. But how can I deny what’s right in front of me? Someone who never grows old…_

“1953”.

_Someone who changes in ways that can’t be explained…_

“Hey, um, are you okay? Your eye. Your face”.

_Girl’s bitten…_

“What is that? Oh, my gosh, what happened to you?”

“It’s nothing!”

_Bodies drained of blood…_

“Did she say what kind of animal it was?”

“She said it was a vampire”.

Elena closed her diary and grabbed her keys, intending to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

 

**Bennett Household**

Stefan watched from his car as a heartbroken Bonnie walked towards her grandmother, who was standing by the door waiting for her “I don’t know what’s happening to me” she said softly as her eyes filled with tears again.

“I know, dear” Grams said and opened up her arms for her granddaughter to walk into “Oh, grams” she said as she cried in her grams’ arms. Sheila nodded at Stefan over Bonnie’s shoulder before she turned and walked them into the house.

Stefan waited for the door to close before he sped down the road, heading back to the boarding house before he hunted down his brother.

* * *

 

**Cemetery**

Vicki was leaning against a tree, high as all hell when one of her buddies offers her a smoke “No, I’m good” she said as the music they were listening to suddenly stops.

“Not it. Not it. Not it. Ah, Vicki” the guys hanging with her all call out at once and she groans when they nominate her to go turn it back on. She’s about to open the car when she saw Damon by the car coughing and groaning.

“Hey, man. You okay?”

“Come here” Damon whispered before repeating himself a little louder. “You don’t look good” she said getting closer to him.

“Come closer. I have something…that I have to tell you” he said as he reaches for her, but loses his balance “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I got you, I got you. It’s okay. It’s okay” she said helping him up only to get bitten when he reaches her neck.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Stefan grabbed a stake and ran to the door only to find Elena standing on the other side of it.

“What are you?”


	12. Lost Girls: Part 1

**_Salvatore Estate 1864_ **

**_General POV_ **

_Stefan stood at the porch of the Salvatore Estate as a carriage arrived in front of him. Emily Bennett stepped out first followed by Katherine Pierce, who observed him for a moment before he approached her after Emily finished smoothing out Katherine’s dress. “You must be Miss Pierce” he said reaching for her hand and kissing the back of it and she smiled at him as he looked up at her again “Please, call me Katherine”._

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

“What are you?” Elena asked with so much venom in her voice that he knew instantly that she figured out his secret. “You know”.

“No, I don’t” she said in denial, but they both knew the truth. She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t. “It’s not possible. It can’t be” she said shaking her head in denial as she took a step back from him.

“Everything you know…and every belief that you have is about to change. Are you ready for that?” he asked staying where he was, figuring if she needed space then he’d give it to her.

“What are you?” she asked again this time not so sure she wanted an answer to that question. “I’m a vampire”.

“I shouldn’t have come” she said turning to leave but he grabbed her wrist, but not too tightly. He couldn’t let her leave now, at least not until she heard him out and honestly he was scared of what she’d do if she left now with things the way they were. Would she go tell the whole town his secret? He didn’t know, but he knew that he had to try and keep that from happening because it wasn’t just him he had to think about. He couldn’t let Bonnie and Sheila expose themselves in order to protect him.

“No. Please, don’t leave” he pleaded, but she yanked her arm away and started running. Stefan sighed before using his vampire speed to appear in front for her, making her jump. “No! How did you do that?” she asked frantically, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart before it burst out of her chest.

“Please don’t be afraid of me” he said grabbing a hold of her shoulders and she squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp “Let me go”.

“No. Elena, there’s things that you have to know and understand”.

“Let me go!” she screamed begging him to just let her leave, which he did and she quickly got into her car before driving away.

* * *

 

**Gilbert Residence**

Elena arrived at her house and quickly ran up to her room only to get there and find Stefan waiting for her “Elena” he started to say, but she turned around and tried to run out of her room. Stefan beat her to it and closed the door shut before she could reach it “I would never hurt you. You’re safe with me”.

“All those animal attacks, those people who died…” she said piecing it all together “No. That was Damon!”

“Damon?”

“Yes. I don’t drink human blood. That’s not how I choose to survive, but Damon does! I’ll explain everything to you, but I beg you, Elena, do not tell anybody” he begged her, trying to make her see where he was coming from, but she only looked at him as if he was completely insane.

“How can you ask me that?”

“Because people I care about deeply could get hurt if people knew about me” he said and her face softened for a moment, probably knowing who he was talking about, before it turned to one of utter betrayal “You can hate me, but I need you to trust me”.

She turned away from him then, choosing to go sit on her bed instead before looking up at him with unshed tears “Just go. Just go, please. Go. If you mean me no harm, then you’ll go!” she said pleadingly.

“I never wanted this, Elena” he said softly before leaving the room just as she broke down on her bed.

* * *

 

**Cemetery**

Damon burnt the bodies he fed from and spotted someone’s cellphone on the ground and decided to use it to call his little brother. “Hello?” Stefan answered the phone questioningly, not recognizing the number, as he headed to the Bennett’s to tell them what happened.

“I want my ring” Damon said in greeting, making his brother groan, this was just what he needed right now. “Where are you?”

“I’m at the sizzler. I had the buffet. Where’s my ring?”

“I don’t have it. Where are you? What have you done?” he asked afraid of the amount of damage Damon could’ve caused in just a few hours.

“No, what have you done? You’re the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I’ve done, whoever I’ve sucked dry is on you, buddy”.

“You’re being careless. How many more animal attacks is this town gonna believe, Huh?” Stefan asked getting frustrated with Damon.

“I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan. Where’s my ring?”

“I gave it to Zach to hide. Probably shouldn’t have killed him” He said and Damon hesitated for a moment before realizing he was being played.

“…Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?”

“I’ll get it back, but I need time”.

“What, did you FedEx it to Rome?! Where is it? I want my ring, Stefan, or that little nightmare of yours will become a reality” He said and Stefan gripped his phone tighter at the threat.

“I already want you dead. Don’t give me another reason to make it happened”.

“Don’t give me another reason to rip you apart”.

“Yeah? Is that going to be before or after you get your ring back?”

“Just get it” Damon said before hanging up. He walked over to Vicki and poured alcohol on her body. She woke up at the contact, gasping for air and Damon kneeled down beside her “You just don’t wanna die, do you?”


	13. Lost Girls: Part 2

**Bennett Household**

**_General POV_ **

Bonnie jumped when she felt something at her feet only to calm down once she saw that it was just Stefan lying at the edge of her bed. He was asleep so he probably got there late last night. She found comfort in having him there with her, it was a rough night and she couldn’t stop thinking about how Zach looked just lying there, lifeless.

Bonnie had spent so much time with Zach when Stefan was gone that she’d come to think of him as a father figure and she could talk to him about anything.

_“Do you think he’s ever coming back?” She asked Zach, who’d brought her breakfast, and was now sitting on the edge of Stefan’s bed. She slept over last night, even though she told her grams she was going to Elena’s house for a sleepover and she was going to go, but she felt empty and missed Stefan so she went to the boarding house instead._

_“You were crying again last night” Zach said instead, ignoring her question “Where were you this time?”_

_“The falls. We were just sitting there talking about nothing” she said before seeing his face, he knew she was lying so she sighed and told him the truth “He was telling me about my mom. I don’t really remember her, you know, but he knew everything about her. I guess it helped paint a picture of what she was like, then he just disappeared and I was alone” she finished as tears rolled down her cheeks again before she quickly wiped them away._

_“You won’t be sad forever, Bonnie. You can’t let this cripple you anymore, you’re starting high school in a few weeks so you should be looking forward to that” he started and took her hand in his “Look, I don’t know if he’s ever coming back, but I do know that you’ll always have me and I’ll always be here to listen to you” he added and she hugged him tightly before pulling back. “Thanks, Uncle Zach”._

_“My pleasure. Now eat your food before it gets cold” he said passing it to her before he left to go get ready for the day._

“He told me you’d sleep over” Stefan said snapping her out of the memory and she wiped the tears that escaped from her eyes with the palm of her hand before smiling at him “When’d you get here?” she asked deflecting, cause really how was she supposed to talk to him about this without breaking down again.

“Late last night” he said pulling himself up to lean against the headboard next to her. “That’s really creepy, Salvatore” she said looking up at him as she rested her head on the headboard so she could get a better look at him. He had his eyes closed again, but she knew he wasn’t sleeping, just thinking.

He huffed in amusement before opening his eyes again. Her heart beat faster when he looked down at her and she had to turn away for a second “I know, but I wanted to tell you something, but when I got here and you were asleep, I couldn’t bring myself to leave”.

“W-what is it?” she struggled to get the words out, feeling nervous about having him in her room all of a sudden.

“Elena knows. She figured it out somehow and I tried to calm her down and keep her from doing anything rash, but honestly I don’t know what she’s going to do”.

Bonnie jumped out of her bed at the news “We have to tell grams”.

“Grams already knows” Sheila said as she opened the door, making Stefan jump this time and he wondered how he didn’t hear her. “Thin walls. And we’re going to talk about this” she said pointing at the two teens and then at the bed “later”.

“Grams it’s not-”

“Oh hush up child” Sheila said cutting her off, ignoring the embarrassed look on her granddaughter’s face, but saw the sadness in Stefan’s eyes at what Bonnie was about to say “Now both of you come downstairs before the food gets cold”. Sheila turned to leave, her granddaughter at her heels and Stefan right behind them.

After breakfast Stefan got a text from Elena to meet at the grill and he sighed in relief that she was at least going to give him a chance to explain so she can make an informed decision.

“Elena wants to meet at the grill” he told them and Grams smiled “Okay, don’t scare her off again. The fact that you’re a vampire freaked her out enough so don’t give her another reason to run” Sheila said as a warning.

“Grams is right, if she’s asking you to meet in a public place then it means she doesn’t trust you so don’t screw this up. Actually I think I should come with you, right?” she asked and they both shook their heads.

“No, we’re starting your lessons today” Sheila said.

“And I don’t want you too involved in any of this”.

Bonnie deflated “Fine” she said slouching into her chair, “You better get a move on then, Salvatore”.

“I’ll walk you out. Bonnie, please clean this up” Sheila said getting up from her seat and walking Stefan to the door.

“So, have you told her?” she asked without preamble, confusing Stefan “Told who, what?”

“Oh come on Stefan, I may be old but I’m not stupid. I’m talking about Bonnie. Have you told her you have feelings for her?”

That got his attention “Sheila, I don’t know what you’re-”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, and your little bedroom visit this morning only confirmed what I already knew. You can try to deny it Stefan and tell me you like Elena, but you’ll only be lying to yourself and you’d know that you’re lying because you’re already fully aware of your feelings” She said and he sighed deeply “I haven’t told her, I mean what if she doesn’t feel the same way. And then there’s the Elena of it all. I don’t want anyone to get hurt”.

“Let me tell you something you already know, Stefan. Bonnie is stubborn, and she is loyal so she’s going to be a hard one to win over. And she will probably push you away sometimes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she doesn’t feel the same way it just means you have to keep at it and not give up” she said and placed a hand on his shoulder “And no matter which way you twist it someone will get hurt, you just have to decide who means more to you. You go on now, you don’t want to be late to meeting Elena” she said and turned back towards the kitchen.

Stefan sighed just watching her disappear into the kitchen before he left.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

Stefan sat in one of the tables at the grill waiting for Elena. She was taking too long and he was worried that she may have changed her mind, but then she walked in and saw him “You said you would explain everything. That’s why I asked you to meet me here. When you Google ‘vampire’ you get a world of fiction. What’s the reality?” she asked as she sat down.

“I can tell you whatever you wanna know”.

“I know you eat garlic”.

“Yes”.

“And somehow, sunlight’s not an issue”.

“We have rings that protect us”.

“Crucifixes?”

“Decorative”.

“Holy water?”

“Drinkable”.

“Mirrors?”

“Myth”.

“You said you don’t kill to survive” she said wanting him to explain more “Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful”.

“And yet you let him get involved with Caroline?” How could he claim to be a good guy and yet let his brother hurt one of her friends?

“Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous, believe me”.

“He was hurting her! She said a little loudly, because how could he justify what Damon was doing.

“He was feeding on her. He was able to take away her memories of being bitten using a form of mind compulsion. She never knew what was happening to her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have”.

“Is that supposed to be okay?”

“No. No, none of this is okay, Elena. I know that”.

“Are there any others, aside from you and Damon?”

“Not in Mystic Falls; not anymore” he said making her curious “Not anymore?”

“There was a time when this town was...very much aware of vampires, and it didn't end well for anybody. That's why it's important that you don't tell anyone”.

“I can’t promise that” she said getting up, having heard enough, but stopped when she thought of something else he said “Last night you said if anyone knew then people you cared about would get hurt, were you talking about Bonnie? Does she know?” she asked and Stefan remained silent, but he didn’t have to say anything because they both knew the truth.

“I thought so” she said and turned to leave, but Stefan grabbed her wrist to keep her from leaving and quickly let go when he saw the fear in her eyes “She wanted me to tell you, Elena, she begged me. Please, don’t be mad at her for my mistake” he pleaded, but she just walked away not saying anything else.

Stefan sat back down and covered his face with his hands when his phone went off. He took it out of his pocket and saw a voice message from Damon. He sighed deeply before reluctantly listening to it _“Where are you, Stefan? I’m trapped at the house, and I’m getting really bored and really impatient, and I don’t do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring, damn it!”_

Stefan groaned once the message ended, Damon could be such a child sometimes. He’s about to call him back when he saw Bonnie walk in and he’s pretty sure she’s not supposed to be here because Sheila said she had lessons today, “What are you doing here, Bonnie?” he asked once she was close enough and watched her take a seat as she said “I snuck out, so how’d it go?”

Stefan rolled his eyes, of course she did, “I’m pretty sure she hates me. But I tried to keep her from being mad at you, not really sure it worked very well” he said and she sighed, thinking about how she had to talk to Elena herself.

“Don’t worry about it. I should’ve told her, but…”

“It wasn’t your secret to tell, plus you were trying to protect me” he said with a smile that warmed her heart. “It’s what we do” she said grabbing his hand and squeezing it. He looked down at their hands before turning his palm upward, intertwining their fingers and Bonnie had to fight the urge to pull her hand away because this was slowly entering territory she wanted to stay away from. She cleared her throat, trying to get back on track and he looked up at her with a look that gave her pause “Um, you know you never really told me everything about life back then”.

“I guess I didn’t” he said and got up pulling on her hand “Come on, I want to show you something”.

* * *

 

**Cemetery**

Logan arrived at the cemetery to come talk to Sheriff Forbes about what happened last night. As he got closer he noticed that there were charred bodies on the ground and had to cover his nose from the smell of burnt flesh. “Never smelled one this bad before”.

“It tried to cover its tracks” the sheriff said as she stood up straight, looking up at the news reporter.

“Are you sure?”

“I'm positive. You only burn a corpse to try to hide cause of death, and there are no shell casings”.

“We know who they are?” he asked and she shook her head no “Doc'll have to check their dental records”.

“What story should I run?”

“Drug deal gone bad. It's not too big a stretch”. He nodded before reaching for his pocket “I got the Gilbert watch”.

“Good” she said as one of her deputies arrived “Found this in the bush about 10 yards away” he said handing her an ID.

“Vicki Donovan”.

“You know her?”

“I went to high school with her mother”.

“Think she's one of these?” he asked and she looked up at him with a worried expression on her face before turning back to the bodies in front of her “I hope not”.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Ruins**

“What are we doing here?” Bonnie asked as they stepped out of Stefan’s car. “I want to show you something”.

“In the middle of nowhere?” she asked examining the ruins, but from the few pillars she could see she knew something once stood there.

“This…Didn’t used to be nowhere. This used to be my home”.

“It looks so…”

“Old? It’s because they are” he said touching one of the pillars while she stood back and watched him. “You said you made the promise to Emily Bennett 145 years ago, so that means…”

“I’ve been 17 years old since 1864” he said finishing her thought “Half a century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family's home. Damon and I...We were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best friends”.

**_Salvatore Estate 1864_ **

_Stefan and Damon ran out of the house, playing football, a game Damon learnt in the army “Wait. Where did you learn this game?” Stefan asked his older brother as they tossed it at each other on the yard. “Camp outside Atlanta. One of the officers picked it up at Harvard. Catch” Damon threw the ball and Stefan caught it easily._

_“Wait a minute. Wait a minute. What are the rules? What are the rules?” Stefan asked as they playfully struggled for the ball. “Who needs rules?” Katherine asked as she walked out of the house “Mind if I join you?”_

_“Uh, well, you could, uh…you could get hurt. My brother likes to play rough” Stefan said, but she didn’t seem fazed by it “Somehow, I think that you play rougher” she said before snatching the ball from him and running off while he just stood there staring at her longingly._

_“Why are you just standing there? That is a girl who clearly wants to be chased. If you don’t do it, I will” Damon said before running off after her with Stefan hot on their heels._

“Oh wow, you guys both really fell for her, didn’t you?”

“In the beginning, yes”.

_Stefan was chasing Katherine through a garden maze and when she reached a statue they both stopped running “Ha! I win. What’s my prize?” She asked after giving a victorious shout._

_“What would you like it to be?” Damon asked from behind them and Stefan turned smiling, happy his brother has returned so soon. “They extended your leave?”_

_“I was simply having too much fun to return to battle” Damon said with a cheeky smile which Stefan returned “Your commitment to the confederacy is inspiring” Stefan said sarcastically as he hugged his brother, both of them unaware of the ramifications of being a deserter._

_“Well, this works out wonderfully for me” Katherine said innocently as they broke apart, but kept their arms around each other’s shoulders. “How’s that, Miss Katherine?”_

_“Now I’ll have both of you here to keep me entertained. First and foremost, I’ll need someone to escort me to the founder’s ball”._

_“With pleasure. I would be honored” Both Damon and Stefan jumped at the chance._

_“The smart and kind Salvatore brothers both coming to my rescue. How will I ever choose?” she said thoughtfully as she walked away._

“She chose me and I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood Mansion” He said turning to Bonnie “I didn’t care that I had gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn’t even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her”.

“So he was mad”.

“That’s the thing about Damon. He doesn’t get mad, he just gets even”.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Damon was dancing around the Boarding house while listening to music when Vicki walked out of the bedroom freshly showered. “Oh, man. That shower was so great. What did you give me?”

After he found her alive at the cemetery he decided to take her back to the Boarding House where he fed her his blood “Some blood. You loved it” he said still dancing.

“I did? Wait. I'm confused. How did we get here?” Damon sighed before walking up to her “We met in the woods. You were drunk. I attacked you. Then I killed all of your friends and brought you here, gave you same blood. You loved it. And now we're gonna party till the sun goes down”.

“Ok. Um, but first, can I have another hit? That blood was so good”.

“Only if I can” he smirked before biting into his wrist and giving it to Vicki to feed while he drank from her wrist.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Ruins**

“What Damon wants, Damon usually gets. I didn’t know it at the time, but…turns out that night…Katherine was with him, too” Stefan continued telling Bonnie the story.

“That’s messed up”.

“Tell me about it”.

_Stefan was with Katherine in her room making out when he felt the need to confess “I will love you forever”._

_“Forever is a very long time, you know?”_

_“Not long enough” he breathed as she started kissing his neck before elongating her fangs and biting him and he cried out in pain._

_The next morning, Katherine’s handmaiden, Emily, was helping her get dressed when Stefan woke up “Good morning. Clear the room please” she told Emily, who stole a glance at Stefan before walking out the door._

_“You’re upset” Katherine said walking closer to the bed. “Your face, it was like a demon” Stefan said pushing his body closer to the wall and away from her. “But you’re not afraid” she said climbing onto the bed._

_“Get away from me. Get away” he said trying to escape her, but she was already compelling him. “It doesn’t change the way you feel about me. You will not tell anyone”._

_“I…”_

_“Shh. We will go on exactly as we have”._

_“Yes. We will go on” he responded mechanically. “You have no idea of the future I have planned for us, Stefan…You, me, and Damon. No rules”._

“Emily was there?” Bonnie asked and Stefan nodded. “Emily saved me from Katherine, Bonnie. She undid the compulsion, but told me to keep it a secret because Katherine would kill her if she found out, and she’d know it was her because she was the only witch around”.

“What about Damon?”

“It was too late, for any of us. The Townspeople found out about the vampires that were in Mystic Falls and trapped them, including Katherine” he said and paused, remembering the details of that night “Damon went after her and I followed him to try and stop him, but we were spotted and we were killed on sight. When we woke up we were so…hungry and I fed…and made Damon feed as well when all he wanted was to be with Katherine. He’s hated me ever since”.

“What happened to Emily?” Bonnie asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder to ease the pain she saw in his eyes.

“I found her tied up and being dragged to the stake. I wanted to help her, but she cried for me to go make sure her children were safe and to make sure nothing happened to them” he said and Bonnie couldn’t stop the stray tear that escaped her eyes “And as I watched her being burnt alive, I promised that I would protect her family”.

He pulled away from her grasp and pulled out Damon’s ring from a ruin “We’re not really gonna give that to him, right?”

“We don’t have a choice” he said turning back to her and she sighed “I know we don’t. I guess I was hoping you’d come up with a brilliant plan or something”.

“Sorry, all out”.

“Me too”.

* * *

 

**Lockwood House**

“We're working on it, Mayor Lockwood” The Sheriff told the Mayor, she was updating him on what happened at the cemetery. “Doc ID the bodies?”

“A few townies. Notorious druggies”.

“I suppose that'll make it easy for people to buy the story. And Vicki Donovan?”

“She's not one of the deceased” The Sheriff said, she’d been worried she’d have to tell Matt that his sister was dead, when she was the only family he had left. His mom gallivanting who knows where.

“Where the hell is she?” Mayor Lockwood asked the question she’s been asking herself since she got the results earlier.

“I wish I knew”.

Just then Logan Fell burst through the doors “Sorry I'm late”.

“You have the watch?” The Mayor asked and Logan handed it to him. He opened it to reveal a compass underneath that seeks out vampires. “It's ready” he handed it back to the reporter who looked at it “That's it?”

“Yes. That's it”.

* * *

 

**Woods**

After they left the Lockwood Property, Logan and the sheriff headed for the woods to search for the vampire that’s been killing people “I got Stanley on the Moore street entrance. The rest of us will cover other access points. Call him or call me if that thing goes off. Don't use the radio. Cellphones only” she instructed Logan as they prepared to split up.

“Got it”.

“You've got 8 rounds. Remember, wooden bullets won't kill him, but it'll wound him enough for you to get close and stake him. You sure you can handle this?” She asked making sure he was fully on board, she wasn’t ready to have his blood on her hands.

“Of course I can”.

“You ever staked a vampire before?” she asked him.

“Have you?”

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Vicki was dancing while Damon was up on the railing dancing with his shirt open before speeding down to sit on the couch and Vicki continued dancing “I am so over Tyler, so over him. I knew from the beginning that I was only a piece of ass to him, but I thought maybe if he got to know me better, he might see something more. But no. Now, Jeremy, on the other hand, that's all he's ever seen in me is something more, and I like that”.

“Jeremy, huh? Elena's brother?” He asked sitting up.

“Yeah, yeah” She said waving her arms around “So, Elena used to date my brother, and they were always together, so Jeremy would always be hanging around and crushing on me and...Hey, why don't you have a girlfriend? You're, like, totally cool and so hot”.

“I know”.

“Don't you wanna be in love?”

“I've been in love. It's painful and pointless and overrated” he said paging through the book that was sitting on the table.

“Except when it isn't”. Damon sighed getting up before throwing the book on the couch.

“No more talking. Let's dance” He said grabbing her arm so they could dance together. “My mom spends most of her time in Virginia beach with Pete. He drives trucks. I don't remember my dad, but from what I gather, he's not worth remembering”.

**“** Your life is so pathetic”.

“Yeah. I mean, I'm the screwed-up one. Matt's got it so easy. He's the golden boy. I mean, he's gonna get a football scholarship and marry Elena and have a lawn mower and some babies, and when I think of my future, I just come up blank”.

“You are so damaged” he said brushing his hand against her cheek. “I mean, you don't have one hint of self-esteem”.

“Nope, none” she shook her head against his palm. “I think I know what can help you”.

“What's that?” She asked as he placed the other hand on her face as well.

“Death” he said and twisted her neck. He sat there for a few minutes waiting for her to wake up and when she did she groaned holding her neck “What happened? We were dancing, and then...”

“Then I killed you”.

“What?” she asked in shock. “You're dead”.

“I'm dead?”

“Yeah, well, let's not make a big deal out of it. You drank my blood, I killed you, and now you have to feed in order to complete the process” he said, but she didn’t buy it “You're wasted” she said getting up and heading for the door, but Damon blocked her way.

“You don't wanna be out there all alone. You're about to get really freaky”.

“Ok, I had a really good time. I just wanna go home”.

“You're gonna start craving blood, and until you get it, you're gonna feel very out of it. You have to be careful” Damon said trying to get her to understand.

“Come on, move” she said feeling aggravated at him. “See? You're already starting to fall apart”.

“And I'm going home now”.

“Ok, fine. I’m just warning you” he said lifting his hands in surrender before thinking better of it “Actually, you know what? You should go. In fact, if I were you, I would stop by your boyfriend Jeremy's house”.

“Yeah, whatever” she said as he helped her out the door.

“Bye. Tell Elena I said hi and if you see Stefan, tell him to call me” he said before shutting the door in her face.

About half an hour after Vicki left Bonnie and Stefan showed up at the boarding house to find Damon lounging around on the couch reading a book as if he didn’t just let a vampire in transition loose out in Mystic Falls “Where’s my ring, Stefan?” he asked without looking up from his book and Stefan tossed it at him. Damon caught it easily and placed it back on his finger and Stefan examined the living room “You look like you had an eventful day. What did you do to Vicki? I can smell her everywhere”.

“Oh nothing much, we just hung out, danced” he started getting up from his place on the couch and started walking closer to them. “Things got really depressing there for a second, man that girl can talk. And I turned her into a vampire. Hey, BonBon” he added winking at her and she unconsciously moved closer to Stefan.

“You turned her? How could you be so reckless”.

“I see it as I saved her life, which was incredibly depressing”.

“Where is she now, Damon?”

“Oh she said something about going to see her boyfriend, I wasn’t really paying attention” he said waving a dismissing hand. “If you leave now you could probably still catch her”.

“We have to go find her, Stefan” Bonnie said yanking at his arm and he nodded in agreement “I can track her, come on” he said leading her out the door and Damon sighed deciding to tag along.

* * *

 

**Woods**

Sheriff Forbes was still searching the woods when her phone started ringing “Yeah” she said into the speaker. “I think I got something. It’s pointing towards the old cemetery”.

“Headed your way”.

* * *

 

**Cemetery**

**“** Vicki” Stefan called out to her as they found her wandering around the old cemetery. He kept Bonnie behind him in case something happened. Vicki turned to them and immediately recognized them. “I'm starting to remember things, what he is, what he said. I remember you. The hospital, the...the rooftop, it's all coming back” she said holding onto her head as the memories came back to her.

**“** I'm so sorry. Damon had no right to do this to you” he said sincerely taking a step closer to her while Bonnie stayed behind him, with worry in her eyes over the girl in front of them.

**“** He said that I need to feed. What will happen if I don't?”

**“** You'll fade quickly...And then it'll all just be over”.

**“** I'll be dead” she said absolutely terrified of dying and leaving her brother alone “I don’t want this”.

“I know. It'll be ok. You're gonna be ok. I can help you” he said extending his free hand for her to take. Vicki looked at Bonnie momentarily and she gave her an encouraging smile to accept the hand offered to her.

“Is it better? Is it better? Will I be better? I wanna go home. Will you take me home?” she asked her brain all over the place and Stefan nodded “Okay” he said just as a gunshot went off, hitting him on the chest “Ahh!” he cried out, dropping to his knees and clutching his chest.

“Stefan!” Bonnie cried kneeling beside him “You’re going to be okay” she said as Damon showed up, biting Logan on the neck. He dropped the reporter once he was done and approached Bonnie who was trying to stop the bleeding. She held back her tears as she watched Damon move her hand away and remove the bullet from Stefan’s chest. The younger Salvatore cried out again as the bullet was being pulled from his chest and Bonnie held his hand as a stray tear escaped from her eyes.

“It's wood” Damon said examining the bullet before he tossed it to the side “They know. If anyone's gonna kill you, it's gonna be me” he said helping his brother up as the wound healed. None of them noticed Vicki drinking Logan’s blood until it was too late “No! No! Vicki!” Bonnie cried out, seeing her first. “I'm sorry” Vicki said before she disappeared into the woods.

**“** Oops” Damon said, that being his only acknowledgement of what he’s done before he moved to where Logan’s body laid lifeless and picked up the compass “We need to leave” he said showing Stefan the compass and they all left the cemetery heading back to the house.

Sheriff Forbes got there a few minutes later and found Logan’s body on the ground before she frantically started looking for the watch as her deputies got there “The watch. Find the watch”.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

“You sure you’re okay?” Bonnie asked as she handed Stefan a cup of animal blood and sat down next to him on the couch “Yeah I’m fine, the wounds already gone” he said and she reached for his chest, where the wound was, to make sure. Stefan placed a hand over the one on his chest and looked at her intensely again making Damon roll his eyes because they seem to have forgotten he’s also in the room and if he doesn’t make his presence known then he might see something he wouldn’t want to.

“As sweet as this little moment is, can we please talk about how we’re going to fix our little Vicki problem?” He asked with a satisfied smile as Bonnie jumped a little before withdrawing her hand from Stefan’s chest.

Stefan sighed in frustration as he realized that his brother was still in the room, and alive. “I texted Elena” Bonnie said and justified what she did when they looked at her as if she was crazy “She deserves to know what’s going on, I mean haven’t we hidden enough from her already? And it’s her brother’s girlfriend that’s on the loose so they’re affected by this. She should be here in a few minutes”.

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later before Elena burst through the door “Bonnie I got your text, what happened to Vicki?” she asked feeling uneasy with being around Stefan and Damon.

“You need to sit down, Elena” she responded calmly, trying to calm her friend.

“I don’t want to sit, Bonnie. Matt called us and told us Vicki was missing and then I get a text from you saying something happened-”

“You should really take a seat, Elena. Trust me” Damon said firmly and she obeyed without further question before Bonnie got into the details of what happened.

“So Damon turned her into a vampire and you guys lost her in the woods?” Elena asked cautiously as she gave Damon a wary look and she looked even more scared than when she first walked in the door when Bonnie nodded.

“I'll take care of it. I'll find her, and I will show her that she can live like I do. I will make sure that she does not hurt anybody, Elena. I promise you” Stefan said from the seat next to hers.

“What do I tell my brother and…and Matt?” Elena asked frantically as tears started to build up in her eyes.

“We’ll come up with a story” he said and tried to reach for her hand, only to have her pull away. “You mean we’ll come up with a lie”.

“I’m so sorry, Elena”.

“Look Stefan, I understand that you would never do anything to hurt me, and I promise I will keep your secret” She said addressing all of them before turning to Stefan again with tears in her eyes “But...I can't be with you, Stefan. I'm sorry. I...I just can't...” she said and rushed out of the house, leaving the three of them in a daze. Bonnie looked at her best friend thinking this isn’t how it was supposed to go.


	14. Lessons

**Bennett Household**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I was sitting on the couch listening to grams tell me about our family’s history for what felt like the hundredth time and as interesting as it was I couldn’t stop thinking about Vicki. We lost her last night after she fed and officially became a vampire.

Stefan took me home after our talk with Elena and told me that they’d keep looking for Vicki and that I had to focus on learning about what I am and letting grams teach me how to control my magic. I knew he was right, after I set Tiki’s car on fire I knew that I needed to get whatever was happening to me under control before I seriously hurt someone.

I snapped out of my thoughts and focused on what grams was saying about us being from Salem. “Was our family burned in the witch trial?”

“No, the girls that were persecuted in Salem were entirely innocent. You have to have more than ignorance to trap a real witch”.

“How did we end up in Mystic Falls?” I asked wanting to know how we ended up splitting up.

“Our family fled Salem in 1692 and relocated here. Our ancestors lived in secrecy for over a hundred years. It's important that we still do” she said, making me wonder why witches would still be persecuted in this day and age. Besides people were aware of what she was, but didn’t do anything about it.

‘Grams, everybody knows you're a witch”.

“They also know it's absurd, can't be true. I'm just a kooky lady that teaches occult at the university. No one really believes. They just poke fun. And let 'em. Don't let 'em know the truth” she said and I nodded in understanding. It was like when I first told my friends I was a witch, none of us really believed it was true.

“Where's the witchcraft? I mean, you've been talking history for 2 days. I wanna get to the fun part” I said tired of hearing about our history. I wanted to start practicing.

“Firstly, it hasn’t been two days because you snuck out before and ended up getting yourself involved in something you’re not ready for and secondly, it's not meant to be fun. It's real and it's serious, and you must understand it before you practice it”.

“Then help me understand it grams” I said, determined. I wanted to understand and learn everything I could. Grams must’ve seen the look in my eyes because she nodded before she went to open our bookshelf, pulling out a big ass book.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

Damon and I tracked Vicki to Mystic Falls high where we heard her speaking to Tyler in his car. We needed to get that kid out of there before Vicki killed him. “Don’t do anything stupid, Damon” I warned my brother before I sped off towards the car and pulled Vicki out of it just as she attacked Tyler. “Aah! Let go of me!” She screamed, struggling in my arms.

“What's going on here, Stefan? What's wrong with her?” Tyler asked frantically as Damon approached us. “You don't talk” Damon said pointing at the jock in front of me.

“Screw you, dude” Tyler spat, and I could tell Damon was getting pissed off “’Dude’? Really? ‘Dude’?”

“Damon, don't!”

“Oh come on. Who's gonna miss this idiot?” Damon asked and Tyler punched him in the face. Damon’s face transformed, ready to attack Tyler himself when Vicki saw this and screamed “Ooh! Don't you hurt him” I rolled my eyes at the unnecessary drama unfolding before me. Damon grabbed Tyler by the throat and compelled him instead “Forget what you saw here tonight. None of us were here” he said and threw Tyler on the ground before we sped away. At least we finally found her, now we can help her.

* * *

 

**Woods**

**Bonnie’s POV**

It was one o’clock in the morning and grams and I were in the middle of the woods. She brought me out here after hours of explaining where our magic came from and showing me a few spells that were in the book she called a grimoire.

I watched as my grams drew a circle on the ground with a stick she picked up before she stood in the middle of it and turned to me. “Witches are connected to nature, Bonnie. We can control the elements; Earth, water, air and fire, but each of us have a specialty”.

“What’s yours, grams?” I asked curious and she just smirked at me before closing her eyes “Phasmatos Incendia” I heard her say before a fire erupted around her and I stood there gaping in shock.

“Whoa” I breathed as grams opened her eyes looking at me with a smile on her face, probably amused by the look on my face “Suctus Incendia” she said with conviction and I watched as the fire extinguished around her.

“I can control the other three elements as well, but I’m strongest when I’m using fire”.

“That’s really cool, grams. What about me? What’s my specialty?” I asked curious. “That’s for you to figure out child, but from what you’ve told me you’re probably like me” she said bringing a smile to my face because I didn’t mind that at all.

“Will you show me how to do that too?” I asked eager to learn some more. “Later, you first have to learn control otherwise your magic could get out of hand. We’ll start with something simple” she said walking towards me. She kneeled in front of me and told me to kneel as well “Close your eyes, Bonnie” she said after placing my hands on the ground between us “Concentrate. Focus on tapping into your power, listen to the sound of your heart beating, the sound of your lungs filling with air” she said and I did as she told me, shutting everything else out of my mind as I focused. “Now, repeat the following words until you feel secure in what you’re saying, let the magic flow through you and let yourself connect with the Earth ‘Phasmatos Tribum, Plantus Vivifey, Plantus Herbus’” she said and I took a deep breath before repeating those same words over and over again.

I felt my magic flow through me as I connected with the elements, it felt incredible, like I was floating on air. When I opened my eyes I was met with a worried expression on my grams face before she quickly covered it up with a proud smile. I was about to question her on it when I got distracted by the flowers that were suddenly blooming around me as far as the eye could see. _Did I do this?_

A smile spread across my face as we got up and I looked at my grams “Wow, grams that was incredible. Did I really do this?” I asked and she nodded “You did baby, you did really well for your first try. Do you feel okay?” she asked and I nodded still distracted by what I just did “Yeah I feel great” I said as I picked a flower and gave it to my grams “Thank you, grams”.

“You’re quite welcome, baby” she said giving me a curious look “I think that’s enough practice for today, come on let’s go home and get some rest” she said and I nodded as we walked back to her car, feeling excited about learning more.

 I woke up to the sound of a knock on my door and groaned when I spotted the time on my night stand. I was about to go back to sleep when I heard knocking again and reluctantly got out of bed to go open the door. “Good morning, Baby” Grams said brightly once I opened the door “Grams, it’s six o’clock in the morning. I don’t have to get up for school for at least another half hour, please let me sleep”.

“You’re not going to school today” she said, “You have to practice some more”.

“Can’t I practice after school?” I asked confused and she shook her head. “One day isn’t going to kill you Bonnie, besides today’s Halloween isn’t it so you won’t be doing school work anyway”.

“I know, but Caroline asked me to help the decorating committee and she’s going to kill me if I don’t show up”.

“This is important, Bonnie. You can call your friend and apologize, now get dressed and come downstairs” Grams said sternly before she turned around and walked downstairs. I sighed as I closed the door and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

“I don't understand why I have to stay cooped up here. Why can't I just go home?” Vicki asked for what felt like the hundredth time. I swear this girl’s hearing is selective because I’ve been explaining why she can’t leave since we found her yesterday and I let her call her brother so he wouldn’t be worried about her.

“Because you're changing, Vicki, and it's not something you wanna do alone” I said trying not to lose my patience with her. She’s not the only one who wanted to be somewhere else, I wanted to go see Bonnie, but I couldn’t because I had to stay here and help her before she hurt somebody.

“There's nothin' about that Logan guy I killed in here. Not a word. Someone's covering it up” Damon’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He was watching the news while unconsciously fiddling with the compass in his hand.

“What is that?” Vicki asked curiously as she noticed it as well. “This is a very special, very old compass. What was Logan Fell doing with it? Aren't you curious?” He asked me “Well, if you're so worried that somebody's onto you, why don't you just leave town, Damon?”

“We should all be worried” he said firmly and he was right, if someone is onto us then it won’t be long till they start hunting us down.

“Hey, um, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?” Vicki asked and I poured her some blood before handing it to her.

“What is it?” she asked examining the contents of the cup. “It's what you're craving”.

“Heh. Don't lie to the girl. It's so not what you're craving, but it'll do in a pinch, right, Stef?”

“What is it?” Vicki asked again scrunching up her face. “Yeah, what is it? Is it a skunk? Saint Bernard? Bambi?” Damon asked eagerly as he stood next to her and I rolled my eyes at him before addressing Vicki “Go on. Give it a try”.

“She's new. She needs people blood. She can't sustain on that stuff”.

“Yeah, why can't I have people blood?”

“Because it's wrong to pray on innocent people, Vicki” I told them both, because it was pretty obvious.

“You don't have to kill to feed. Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It's so easy”.

“No, no, no. There's no guarantee that you can control yourself, okay? It takes years to learn that. You could easily kill somebody, and then you have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which, if I haven't made clear, is eternity”.

“Don't listen to him. He walks on a moral plane way out of our eye line. I say snatch, eat, erase” Damon said slinging his arm over her shoulder. I could tell she was tempted but I couldn’t let her listen to Damon and I couldn’t help but think this was like having an angel and demon on your shoulder while you struggled to figure out who to listen to.

“Hey, look at me. We choose our own path. Our values and our actions, they define who we are”.

Damon rolled his eyes “Okay, count deepak. I am outta here” he said heading for the door. Once Damon was gone Vicki drank the blood before handing it to me “Can I have some more?” she asked and I took the cup from her about to pour her some more blood when I heard footsteps coming from the hallway before I heard Elena’s voice.

“Stefan? Stefan?” She called out to me as I headed down the stairs to intercept her “Yes” I said as she came into view. She looked better this morning, more calm and less frightened which was a good thing, but to be honest I didn’t think she’d ever step foot in this house again after she broke up with me. As much as I tried I couldn’t bring myself to be heartbroken about our break up, instead all I felt was relief. Elena and I were never going to work, I knew that now.

“Where is Vicki?” she asked keeping her distance “She's upstairs”.

“What happens now? Because my brother is out there searching for her with the rest of the town. What do I tell him?”

“I'm working with her, but it's gonna take time. She's a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user. I mean, all that's gonna play a part in how she responds to this”.

“So, she's a vampire with issues? What am I supposed to do? Because I'm lying to everyone that I care about. What's gonna happen to her?”

“I'm gonna keep her here with me until I know that she's safe”.

“How long is that?” Vicki asked appearing seemingly from nowhere and I turned to her “We can talk about that later” I told her as she turned to look at Elena.

“Hey, Vicki, How are you?” she asked cautiously, which only served to piss the other girl off “How am I? You're kidding, right?”

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

**_General POV_ **

Mayor Lockwood and Mrs. Lockwood were sitting in a booth discussing what happened last night. Logan Fell was dead and now the watch was gone, meaning whatever they were dealing with knew that they were coming after it.

“We never should have trusted that Logan weasel with the watch” The mayor snapped as he thought about what happened. “How many are we dealing with?”

“Well, the coroner thinks one. Something about the wound radius and the jaw pattern”.

“Are we in danger? I mean, if it found the watch, then it knows we know, and could it come after us? A-and should I even be saying "it"? Or...or is it a he or a she?” Mrs. Lockwood asked in a frightened ramble.

“If it has any historical knowledge of the town, then it'll know where the watch came from, so yes, we could very much be in danger”.

“So what do we do?” She asked fearing for her son. “Just keep it quiet. We can't have the entire town aware of this. We need to find it before it finds us” Mayor Lockwood said unaware that Damon was listening to their entire conversation.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I was officially running a vampire 101 class in the living room of my house to help Vicki while Elena watched. She decided to stick around for some reason which was odd to me because one minute she was scared of us and hated me for lying to her and the next minute she couldn’t leave us alone. I didn’t have time to deal with Elena right now so I just pretended she wasn’t there. “Coffee is our friend. It's the caffeine. It circulates through our veins, and it warms our body so we're not so cold to the touch”.

“Well, what if I wanna drink human blood?” Vicki asked and there was really nothing she could do about that other than learn to control it.

“You're gonna have to learn to live with that urge and fight it on a daily basis, take it one day at a time”.

“Oh gosh! Don't start with that whole 12 steps thing. School counselor has been down that road, and it doesn't work for me”.

“It can work. It's your choice, Vicki”.

“So you've never tasted human blood?” She asked and I could feel Elena’s eyes on me as she waited for a response.

“Not in a long time”.

“How long?”

“Years and years. I'm not proud of my past behavior” I said because I couldn’t change the things I did in the past, all I could do was live with it.

“Does this sketchy feeling ever go away? It's like I have a massive hangover. This daylight thing is a bitch. I need more blood. Where's your bathroom? I have to pee. Why do I have to pee? I thought I was dead” She said rambling before she got up and left the room. I sighed and turned to Elena who was looking at me strangely, but I didn’t have the energy to try and figure Elena out right now, this was my chance to call Bonnie and tell her what was happening. “I'm going to, uh...I'm gonna get her some more blood. All right. I'll be quick” I said speeding out the door.

I pulled out my cellphone and called Bonnie while I poured Vicki some blood. She wasn’t picking up and I was about to give up when I suddenly heard yelling on the other end of the line “Bonnie Bennett, I told you to switch off that phone!”

“I know, Grams, but it’s Stefan. I’ll be right back!” I heard Bonnie call back “Hey, Salvatore. What’s up?”

“Hey, did I catch you at a bad time?” I asked her cause judging by the back and forth with her grams she was probably busy learning magic with Sheila, which got me thinking “You didn’t go to school”.

“We’re talking on borrowed time here, Salvatore. I’m going to need you to get to it, and no I didn’t go to school”.

“Oh, anyway we found Vicki and we’re keeping her at the house until she’s ready to be around others” I said and heard Bonnie sigh in relief “That’s good, so you’re teaching her?”

“Yeah, and we have an audience. Elena came over”.

“Really? That’s a good sign, right? Maybe she’ll take you back” she said and I sighed regretting bringing it up in the first place.

“It’s not a sign for anything, Bonnie. Look, Elena and I were never going to work, and you need to let go of the idea that we’re going to get back together” I said, finally speaking the words I’ve been holding back from her. She was quiet for a bit on the other end and if it wasn’t for her breathing I would’ve thought she’d hung up on me.

“Okay Salvatore, I’ll let it go” she said quietly and I was relieved she wasn’t stubborn this time “Thank you, so will I see you at all today?” I asked, hopeful. I feel like I haven’t seen her in a long time and I miss her, a lot.

“Probably not, Grams is on a rampage and you’re on babysitting duty. Maybe tomorrow, okay?” she said and I sighed, a little disappointed “I’ll hold you to that”.

“Okay, I’ll see you, Salvatore” she said quickly before the line went dead and I sighed before grabbing the cup of blood and heading back upstairs to two women who weren’t Bonnie.

* * *

 

**Bennett Household**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I quickly hung up on Stefan when I heard Grams “You ready to get back to work” she said as she came into view and I nodded, following her back into our living room which was filled with candles while the grimoire sat in the middle of the room. We’ve been practicing for hours and grams taught me the basics before she taught me some of the harder spells.

Grams left the room for a bit before returning with a bowl of water “My mama first taught me how to control the water element with a bowl of water” she said as she placed it on the floor next to the grimoire before she waved me closer, telling me to sit down in front of the bowl. “She told me to concentrate on what I wanted the water to do for me, and make the shape with my hands as I felt the water move through my fingers”. I closed my eyes and focused like Grams said, extending my arms over the bowl and the spell just flowed from my lips “Confuso Fatina, ignos et ignos mortifina” I said firmly and opened my eyes in time to see the water lift from the bowl. I smiled as I touched it with my fingers shaping it into an arrowhead. I got excited when I saw it take shape before my eyes and I could see my grams smile as well when she knelt down in front of me. I was about to make something else when I heard the pipes creak around the house before they burst and suddenly there was water everywhere.

Grams quickly got up and performed a spell to mend the pipes before the water did too much damage on the house “Grams what’s going on?” I asked, a little worried, my magic got out of control again.

“I don’t know baby, but I promise you I’ll figure it out. Right now let’s go get dried up” she said and I nodded before heading up the stairs to my room to change my clothes.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I walked back to the room to find Elena kneeling on the floor, hunched over and coughing up a storm “What happened?” I asked helping her up. “She threatened me” Elena answered once she got her breathing under control and I sighed because of course Elena figured out a way to piss off a newbie vampire. She didn’t leave though, I could hear her in my room.

“She's on edge. Imagine every sense in your body operating at super speed. I mean, she's uncomfortable in her own skin. And then when you throw in her other issues...” I said trying to explain to her what a bad idea it was to upset Vicki right now.

“How long before it settles? Hours? Days? Weeks?”

“There's no rule book”.

“Well, how long before you learned to control it?”

“A while, but I didn't have anybody helping me. I had to do it on my own. The thing is it's hard to resist certain people especially when you're new, it's difficult to separate your feelings. Love, lust, anger, desire...it can all blur into one urge, hunger”.

“What does that mean?”

“It means that Jeremy can't see her, not now. She might not be able to resist him, and she could hurt him” I said and saw the fear in her eyes. “I need to get going” she said gathering her things before she walked out the door. I went upstairs when I heard Damon speaking to Vicki, I could not let her be alone with him right now.

“What are you doing?” I said as I walked into my room just as Damon and Vicki were getting ready to head out. “She's been cooped up in your room all day. She's not Anne Frank”.

“No no. Hey hey...Now's not the time for this”.

“If you're gonna teach her. Teach her. Show her what it's all about”

“She could hurt someone” I don’t know how many times I have to keep saying this before the two of them hear me. “I'm not takin' her to Disneyland. We're going in the front yard. Come on”.

“Bad idea, Damon” I said blocking their way, “She's a vampire Stefan, she should know the perks”.

“Like what?” she asked, curious and Damon smirked before using his super-speed to get behind her.

“Whoa. How did you do that? Ho ho ho ho” she said getting excited and I rolled my eyes at the scene before me, this was not going to end well.

“Come on Vicki, live a little. No pun intended” Damon said and Vicki used her super-speed to run away. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, feeling frustrated by what just happened. Damon turned to me, giving me an innocent look “Uh...my bad”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but i'm going to try and update every week. I hope you guys are enjoying the story and thanks for reading :).


	15. Haunted

**Donovan Residence**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I tracked Vicki back to her house. I can’t believe Damon could be stupid enough to teach Vicki her abilities before they got a handle on her hunger. I hesitated before ringing their doorbell, I really didn’t want to be here and Damon offered to come with me but I really didn’t need him here to mess this up again.

“Stefan, what are you doing here?” Matt asked when he opened the door “Is Vicki home?”

“Yeah”.

“Can I see her, please?”

“Don't let him in. I don't want him in here” Vicki said from inside the house and Matt turned to talk to her “Did he do something to you?”

“No, I just don't want him in here”

“Just let me come in so I can explain myself” I said trying to get him to invite me in so I could talk to Vicki and get her to see that I’m only trying to help her, but Matt wasn’t having any of it “Look, I don't know what's going on but I think you should leave now”.

“Matt...”

“Please, now, Stefan” he said and I nodded before turning to leave, this was going to be harder than I thought.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High**

**_General POV_ **

The Halloween dance was in full swing with everyone there enjoying themselves, except for Stefan who was stuck with trying to look for Vicki before she hurt Jeremy. He saw her walking through the halls in a vampire costume and grabbed her, pulling her into a classroom “What, you’re following me now?” she said once she knew it was him and was annoyed because try as she might she couldn’t escape him.

“You didn’t really give me much of a choice”.

“Let me out of here” she said trying to push past him, but he wasn’t budging “You shouldn’t be here Vicki. Crowds like this, it makes it even harder for you to keep yourself under control”.

“I’m fine”.

“Really? No headache? Your stomach's not screaming at you? You're not feeling lightheaded or anxious or cranky like if someone looks at you the wrong way you could just rip their head off? Do you wanna know what that's called? It's called hunger and it's only gonna get worse and worse every minute that you pretend like it's not controlling you” he said taunting her, making her want to rip his head off. Vicki was about to respond when Elena barged into the classroom and saw them “Thank God” she breathed, feeling relieved at the sight of them.

“What's the matter?” Stefan asked as he saw her standing at the doorway, her being here wasn’t helpful. “I lost track of Jeremy. I was worried”.

“What's goin' on?” Matt burst through soon after and Stefan had to fight to not groan in frustration over this whole situation. “Hey uh, everything's fine” he tried to reassure Matt

“I told you to quit bothering me” Vicki blurted out all of a sudden and they all turned to her, Elena trying to stop her from doing something stupid. “No. Vicki, don't do this”.

“Matt, he won't leave me alone” she continued to whine to her brother and Matt became hostile towards Stefan “You need to back off, man”.

“Matt, it's...it's okay” Elena said trying to calm him down, but Matt wouldn’t listen.

“No, it's not okay. What the hell is your problem?” He yelled at him and they didn’t notice her leave until she was gone “Stefan. She's gone”. Stefan ran to the door and quickly looked down the hallway to see if he could find her before turning to Elena and Matt “I'm trying to help her” he said and ran out the room.

Jeremy was walking around the party trying to find his way when Vicki grabbed him and pulled him into her as they turned a corner “Whoa. Vic, you scared the hell out of me” he said once he saw that it was her and Vicki pouted her lips “Sorry. I'm sorry” she whispered and kissed him before grabbing his arm and running off.

They ran out the back entrance and continued making out by the busses “I was so worried about you” he said between kisses “I’m fine now, but…I gotta leave” she said kissing him again, but Jeremy pulled away “What? Where?”

“I gotta get out of here, Jer. I just...I can't live at home with Matt. He just doesn't get it”.

“No, you can't. You can't just leave”.

“Come with me. If you come with me, we can be together forever” she said and pulled him down to her again, kissing him. The kiss heats up and Vicki unconsciously bites his lip and sucked on the blood that poured out.

“Okay. Yeah. Ow. You're taking that costume a little too far” he said pulling away and she chased his lips “What? What is it? Vicki! Vicki, what the hell?!” He yelled struggled to get away from the hold she had on him “Oh, my god. No! stop! Vicki! No! Ah!” Jeremy screamed as Vicki pulled him closer, biting his neck as she overpowered him. Just then, Elena ran out the back entrance and saw Vicki attacking Jeremy “Vicki, no!” she screamed running over to them and hit Vicki with a wooden plank she picked up.

Vicki grabbed her by the neck and threw her into a pile of garbage nearby and was about to feed on Jeremy again when Stefan came and grabbed her, holding her against the bus as Jeremy ran over to Elena. Vicki used her strength to get Stefan off of her and pushed Jeremy out of the way, grabbing Elena and biting her. Stefan quickly grabbed a piece of wood and stabbed Vicki in the heart with it.

Her skin desiccated and she fell lifelessly on the ground “Vicki! Vicki! Vicki! Vicki!” Jeremy cried as he ran over to her and held her in his arms. Stefan walked up to Jeremy and pulled him away from Vicki.

“Get him out of here” Elena said clutching her neck and Stefan pulled out his phone, calling Damon. He answered on the first ring “What?”

“I need your help”.

* * *

 

**Bennett Household**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

“Were you able to figure out what’s wrong with my magic?” I asked Grams as we packed up the candles we were using today. After we got the place cleaned up grams encouraged me to continue practicing, which I did, but we didn’t really do any big spells only a few levitation spells. Everything went well and I didn’t destroy my house again, but I was exhausted now. I guess practicing magic all day will do that to you. “Not yet baby, but I’ll keep looking, don’t you worry. You should go get some rest” she said taking the candles from my arms and pushing me towards the stairs. “Okay, goodnight Grams”.

“Goodnight, baby” she said heading to the kitchen. I walked up to my room and jumped when I saw the figure sitting on my bed in the dark when I opened the door. I switched on the light and the figure turned out to be Stefan, with his face turned to the floor, not even looking at me as I walked into the room and sat down next to him. He didn’t seem to want to talk so I just sat there and took a hold of his hand, quietly waiting for him to tell me what happened.

“I, uh…I wanted to help her” he spoke softly after a while “But instead I-” he cut himself off and I squeezed his hand in comfort. “What happened, Stefan?” I asked softly, lifting his head with my free hand, getting him to look at me.

“I killed Vicki” he said with a pained expression on his face before continuing “She was at the Halloween party and attacked Elena and the next thing I know I was stabbing her in the heart with a stake”.

I hugged him tightly then as a tear escaped from my eyes, why does everything have to end in death. “I’m sorry, Bonnie” he whispered as he squeezed me tighter, but I shook my head “You don’t have to apologize to me, Stefan. I’m not the one who lost my sister today, you have to apologize to him” I said thinking about Matt as I pulled away.

“He doesn’t know” he said looking at me and I shook my head “It doesn’t matter, you still need to apologize”. He sighed and wiped the tears that fell from my eyes.

“Where’s Elena now?” I asked grabbing his hand “I asked Damon to take her and Jeremy home”. I got onto the bed and patted the free space next to me for him to lie down next to me and he obeyed without question. He leaned against the headboard and opened his arms for me to snuggle against his chest “I missed you today” he said softly, but I barely heard him and even though I was already half asleep I managed to respond with an “I missed you too” before letting sleep take me.

_I was running through the woods when I suddenly stopped in front of an old house. Feeling drawn to it, I walked up the stairs and opened the door, coming face to face with a woman I’ve never seen before. “He’s coming”._

I woke up then, breathing heavily as I took in the familiar surroundings of my room as I calmed down. I looked next to me and saw that Stefan was gone, he must’ve left in the middle of the night so I laid back down onto the bed as I breathed deeply and tried to fall asleep again.


	16. 162 Candles

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_General POV_ **

Stefan was asleep in the parlor when the book he was reading fell from his lap to the floor, making him wake up. He left Bonnie asleep last night when he went to see her after killing Vicki. He felt guilty about what he did, it wasn’t supposed to end the way it did, but it did and he had to live with that even though seeing Bonnie made him feel better, she made him feel like he wasn’t a monster. She made him feel whole, but that wasn’t what he needed right then he didn’t want her to make him feel better, so he left.

He left in the middle of the night so grams wouldn’t catch them again, he didn’t want to leave but he knew he had too otherwise he never would, but when he got home he couldn’t get to sleep so he read on the couch and must’ve fallen asleep judging by the light coming in from the window.

He sat up on the couch when he heard a noise in the house “Damon?” he called out, thinking it might be his brother, but he didn’t get a response. He heard a further disturbance coming from the kitchen and the smell of baked goods before he actually got up to look what it was. When he walked into the kitchen he saw his best friend bent over by the oven and pulling out a cake tray “Bonnie? What are you doing here at six in the morning?”

“Morning, Salvatore” she said with a bright smile as she placed the tray on the counter and went to give him a hug “Happy Birthday”.

Bonnie has been up since three in the morning, after her dream she tried going back to sleep, but gave up after a while and started thinking up ways to celebrate Stefan’s 162nd birthday, yes she’d done the math. If she was honest she also had selfish reasons for throwing herself into planning Stefan’s party. She wanted to distract herself from her dream and what better way to do that than by throwing a party for your oldest friend, even though he wasn’t a fan.

She’d called Caroline early this morning before heading to the boarding house, Caroline has always been an early riser; said it meant she had more time in the day to get things done, and she was more than happy to help. She also asked Grams for her famous chocolate cake recipe and was off on a mission to make this the best day ever. Grams also performed a spell to hide her scent from Stefan in case he caught her before she got anything done.

“I baked you a cake, it’s Grams’ recipe” she said as she pulled away and he smiled at her fondly, wiping away the flour from her cheek.

“With everything going on, I forgot about it, and you didn’t have to do this”.

“I wanted to, besides it’s not everyday your best friend turns 162 years old, right?” she said enthusiastically as she went to put icing on the cake “You’ve been through a lot too, Stef, and after what happened last night…” she stopped herself before she started feeling miserable again, which she refused to be because today was the one day they were going to be normal and do normal things, like celebrate Stefan’s birthday. Stefan must’ve seen her face because he came closer and reached for her hand, stopping what she was doing. She looked up at him and gave him weak smile before she shrugged “I just want you to have a happy birthday”. Her eyes were pleading with him to let her do this and he nodded, today they’d be normal.

“You know I can’t eat that right?” he said pointing to the cake and Bonnie blushed in embarrassment for forgetting before brushing it off “It doesn’t matter, everyone deserves to have cake on their birthday”.

* * *

 

**Sheriff’s Office**

Two hours. That’s how long they hung out for before being called into the Sheriff’s office to be questioned about last night. This didn’t apply to Bonnie though because she wasn’t there, but she wanted to be there for Stefan. When they got there the others were already sitting there anxiously waiting as they got called in one by one.

“Where did Vicki say she was going?” Sheriff Forbes asked Jeremy who was sitting in the chair in front of her. Last night when Damon dropped them off Elena begged him to compel Jeremy to forget, he was just a kid and didn’t need to feel the pain of losing yet another important person in his life.

“She didn’t”.

“Did she tell her brother where she was going?”

“No she didn’t say anything to me. She told Jeremy to tell me that she was leaving town” Matt answered when he was called in “Is there anyone I can talk to that may know what happened to her prior to her leaving town?”.

“Stefan Salvatore may know. He came by the house to see her, but she wouldn’t talk to him”.

“What was he doing there?” she asked.

“I was trying to help her, I knew that Elena was worried about her brother, he was dating Vicki and she had a drug problem, so I tried to help” Stefan responded as he thought back to the events of last night.

“So you got involved because Elena asked you to?”

“I asked Stefan to help. I thought that, by helping Vicki, he was helping my brother”.

“What was her behavior like those last few days before she left?” The Sheriff asked Matt and he thought about it for a minute trying to remember the details of his sister’s behavior “Up and down, very sketchy, like she was coming down from some major partying” he said thoughtfully as he remembered what she was like.

“Any signs of aggression or violence?”

“None that I remember”.

“No”.

“No”.

They each gave their answers and the sheriff nodded, satisfied “So you believe Vicki really has left town?” she asked her last question before letting them leave.

“Yes”.

“Yes”.

“Yes”.

“I’ll miss her, but…I think it’s for the best”.

Stefan stood by the door of the Sheriff’s office waiting for Matt to finish up inside. When he walked out, he almost bumped into the vampire standing there “Matt, I wanted to apologize for what happened with Vicki, I really was trying to help her ,that’s all, I’m sorry for the way things turned out” he said, but Matt really wasn’t interested right now, maybe when it all sinks in and he’s accepted that she’s left him alone he might be ready to listen to what Stefan had to say, but not right now so he just left him standing there without saying anything and Stefan sighed before leaving the building himself, going outside to where Bonnie was waiting for him.

“How’d it go?” she asked when she saw him approaching “I don’t think the Sheriff suspected anything” he said, but she could tell something was bothering him.

“What’s wrong, Salvatore?” she asked concerned, “Nothing, I just tried apologizing to Matt for what happened, but he didn’t really want to hear anything I had to say, and I get it”.

“Give it time, Salvatore. He just lost his sister and he doesn’t even know it, I just hope one day we’ll have the courage to tell him”.

They saw Elena walk to the car with Jeremy and Bonnie gave her a weak smile and an awkward wave which she returned before Elena got into the car, driving off. “Why don’t you talk to her?”

“I will, I just want to give her some space” she said before changing the subject “Come help me pack grams’ things”. Her dad had texted her that he was coming back today when she was waiting for Stefan so she had to help grams pack before her dad got back. They didn’t really get along, her dad said that grams was filling her head with ‘witchy juju’, as he put it and it bothered him that she had to stay with her when he was gone even though he never did anything to actually change that.

“Your dad’s back?”

“Yeah” she said and headed to the car, with Stefan following closely behind. As they drove off Damon arrived at the sheriff’s office. He peeked his head through the door and the sheriff waved him in, “I understand from Mrs. Lockwood that your uncle is out of town” she said as he sat down.

“Yes he is. But I spoke with Zach. He filled me in and asked if I could bring this to you” he said handing over the box he was holding in his hands. Sheriff Forbes opened it and saw what was inside “Vervain”.

“That’s all we have at the moment, I hope it’s enough”.

“It’s a small circle…Founding families, a few city officials”.

“And your deputies ofcourse, right?” He asked “Are we any closer?”

“I think our facts are wrong. We’ve always believed that vampires can only come out in the dark. What if that’s changed?” she asked, mostly herself as Damon watched her try to piece it all together. “So is that even possible?”

“We’ve exhausted every other option. We have to consider that the vampire may be walking around during the day. Right in front of us”

“So what’s the next step” Damon asked already working on a plan of his own. “We’re now looking at anyone new to town, since the deaths began. Should turn up a suspect or two”.

“And I, of course, will do anything I can to help”.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Stefan threw himself onto the bed the moment he got in his room, while Bonnie made herself comfortable at the foot of the bed. They’d gone to help out her grams pack up her stuff and took them back to her house before her dad got home, everything got done pretty quickly thanks to Stefan’s speed “So what do you want to do?” she asked when he turned to lie on his back so he could look at her.

“Nothing”.

“Okay, you’re not helping me make this a happy birthday” she scowled at his lack of enthusiasm “Hey you’re the one who jumped onto this birthday bandwagon and now you gotta ride it out” he said laying his head on the pillow again and looked at the ceiling. Bonnie didn’t like the fact that he just wanted to wallow in his own misery the whole day, on his birthday no less so she decided to cheer him up. She grabbed the pillow next to his head and the knife on his nightstand, why he kept it there? She didn’t know and didn’t really care at the moment. “Okay, you asked for it” she said and used the knife to cut through the pillow as he sat up.

“You know that’s destruction of property right?”

“Shut up, Salvatore” she said and emptied the feathers that were inside before she sat cross-legged on the bed again “It’s one of the things grams showed me during our lessons” she said, not mentioning that it was the only thing she could do without her magic going haywire. She took a deep breath before using her hand to levitate a feather in front of him. Stefan sat quietly in awe as he watched her levitate several more until soon they were surrounded by floating feathers.

“It’s true, Stefan. Everything my grams told me. It’s impossible and it’s true. I’m a witch” she said with a proud smile, finally accepting who she was and Stefan returned it with one of his own before he pulled her to him making them both fall onto the bed with her on top of him, her head comfortably snuggled on his chest as he whispered “I told you anything is possible”.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

Caroline was busy setting everything up for the party and spouting out orders the only way Caroline Forbes could “Tyler Lockwood, I swear if you tear that sign up I will kill you” she said through gritted teeth as Ben and Tyler hung up a ‘Happy Birthday’ banner, it would have said ‘Happy Birthday, Stefan’ but she was working on a tight schedule. When Bonnie called her this morning she was happy to help, her best work was done under pressure.

Her phone went off as she ticked off the last item on her list, she pulled it out and saw a text from Bonnie. **Everything on track?**

_Yeah, everything is set up._ She texted back.

**Cool we’ll be there in a bit.**

_See you soon._

“Planning a little bash for my brother” Damon said looking over her shoulder, making her jump and almost drop her phone. She took a calming breath as she turned around to look at him, remembering him biting her during the founders’ party. She still had holes in her memory when it came to him, but figured it would always be that way and she tried to accept that fact. What she wasn’t going to let happened though was let him hurt her again, not if she could help it. “That’s none of your business” she said giving him a stony look before she walked away from him.

Damon just shrugged figuring he should just let it go and went to sit at the bar so he could think of a way to get the suspicion off of himself and Stefan. He was having his third glass of bourbon when he heard someone call his name, making him look up from his glass “Do I know you?” he asked warily as he looked at the bartender in front of him before taking a drink.

“No you don’t, but I know you” Ben said as he poured him some more “You’re Stefan Salvatore’s brother”.

“That’s great, you can leave now” he said slowly losing his patience with the man who interrupted his quiet moment. “I have a preposition for you, Damon” he said instead, ignoring the murderous look in his eyes.

“Oh yeah” Damon said with a fake smile “What’s that?”

Ben leaned onto the counter, getting closer as if he’s about to tell him a secret “So I have a bone to pick with your brother, see I went to this party at the Lockwood Mansion when I got ditched by my date. Anyway I decided to take a walk on the grounds and spotted something I probably shouldn’t have, something you wouldn’t want your good friend the Sheriff or the rest of this town to know about, especially after what you did to Caroline Forbes” he said and watched as recognition set in on Damon’s face, probably remembering that night clearly.

Damon reached over and strangled him while he was still within reach “Now you wouldn’t be thinking of doing something stupid, would you?” Damon sneered menacingly, his voice dripping with venom. Ben smirked at him as he twisted Damon’s hand from his neck, reveling in the shocked look on his face. “So are you ready to play nice now?” He said letting go of him, and Damon didn’t miss the evil glint in his eyes.

“I guess I’m not the only one with a secret” Damon said drinking again “What makes you think I can’t make the same threat?”

“Because of your brother’s little girlfriend. You know I’d never met a Bennett witch before, I hear they’re very powerful”.

“You see that’s where you’re wrong, I don’t care about the witch or my brother for that matter” That made Ben laugh out loud “I’m very observant Damon, being around as long as I have teaches you to read people and you are a page turner” Ben said pouring Damon yet another glass of bourbon “Now, are you ready to do business?”

“What do you want?” Damon asked gripping his glass so hard that it cracks a little before he realizes what he’s doing and loosens his hold on it. “I have someone after me that I’d rather not know my location and I need the witch to help me disappear, so to speak”.

“Why come to me? Why not just threaten my brother, he’s the one close to the witch” Damon asked genuinely curious about what exactly his plan was and about who he was running from. Whoever it was had him shaken judging by the look he’s so desperately trying to hide, meaning whoever he was running from must be powerful and very dangerous.

“We both know Saint Stefan would rather be staked than let anything happened to his precious Bonnie, but you’re smart Damon and that’s why I like you” he said slapping his face slowly, making Damon growl in anger, but kept himself from lashing out at him. “You have till the end of the day” he said as he walked away. Damon watched him walk away, his blood boiling with anger as he imagined all the ways he could killed him with his bare hands until he thought of something the sheriff said about her hunt for vampires and smirked thinking he might get his chance sooner than he thought.

* * *

 

  **Salvatore Boarding House**

“Get dressed, we’re leaving” Bonnie said as she walked back into the room, coming from the bathroom. She went in there pretending she needed the bathroom so that she could text Caroline without Stefan finding out what she was up to.

“Come on, Bunny. I’m comfortable” he groaned as he buried his head further into the pillow. He didn’t want to leave, he just wanted to cuddle like they were before, but he couldn’t exactly tell her that because it would just make things awkward again and he didn’t need that right now.

Bonnie jumped onto the bed and smacked his legs, making him begrudgingly turnover and look at her “Stefan, it’s been a stressful weekend and today is your birthday and we are going to celebrate it properly, with good music, friends and drinking, hopefully a lot of it” she said earnestly, hoping she was convincing enough, but judging by the look on his face he wasn’t being convinced of anything so it was time to pull out the puppy dog eyes and the pout “Come on, Please!” she begged, clasping her hands together pleadingly. He sighed before sitting up “Fine” he groaned before going to change and she grinned to herself, it was going to be a great night.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

Bonnie walked into the grill with a reluctant Stefan, he knew she was dragging him to a party, but what he didn’t know was that it was in his honor, which is exactly what he found out when they walked through the door.

Stefan took in the appearance of the grill after everyone surprised him, or at least tried to cause you can’t surprise a vampire. What did surprise him was the birthday banner and the decorations and all the kids from their school “Bonnie, what is this?”

“It’s your birthday party” she said with a bright smile from beside him. She threw him a party? No one has ever thrown him birthday party before, it wasn’t exactly something that was celebrated in 1864 and over the years he’s mostly been alone so he never celebrated it and for Bonnie to do it for him now meant the world to him. “You did this?” he whispered in disbelief looking at her as if she was some kind of miracle, but she didn’t seem to notice the look he was giving her as she looked at the work Caroline put in animatedly.

“I just came up with the idea, Caroline is the one who put everything together so don’t forget to thank her” she said taking in the party before finally turning to look up at him and catching the look on his face, it was the same look he gave her the night they almost kissed. “Thank you” he said in such a sincere voice that it made her think of doing something she shouldn’t be thinking about doing. Instead she smiled up at her best friend “Happy Birthday, Salvatore” she said before hugging him, he wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head in her neck. It felt nice and they didn’t want to let go, but they had to.

“Let’s party” she whispered as they reluctantly pulled away from each other and joined the party.

Outside the grill Damon heard a sound and followed it “Where are we going?” he heard a girl ask her boyfriend “No one’s gonna see us” her boyfriend said and Damon saw him pull her into a kiss. He rolled his eyes at the scene in front of him before speeding towards them, biting the boy. The girl started screaming only to stop when she looked at Damon. He smirked, walking away as he finished the first phase of his plan.

Elena walked into the bar and immediately spotted Bonnie and Stefan playing pool together, which was weird because Bonnie couldn’t play to save her life. She watched as Bonnie missed yet another ball before turning to Stefan and saying something she couldn’t hear, but it must’ve been funny because Stefan started laughing while Bonnie tried and failed to keep a straight face. That sight alone made Elena wish she didn’t come here because now she was starting to regret ever breaking up with Stefan and couldn’t help but wish that it was her up there with him instead of Bonnie. “Stefan smiles. Alert the media” Damon said from behind her, making her stiffen as she continued to watch the two best friends “You haven’t given him a lot of reasons to be happy lately”.

“Oh, you’re right. Poor Stefan persecuted throughout eternity by his depraved brother; does it get tiring being so righteous?” Damon asked with lifted eyebrows as she turned around to face him “It flares up in the presence of psychopaths” she sassed, she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was afraid of him.

“Ouch” he said clutching his heart, feigning hurt “Well consider this psychopath’s feelings hurt”.

“What did you do to my brother?” Elena asked changing the subject as she remembered watching Jeremy doing his homework for the first time in ages. “I’m gonna need a less vague question”.

“When you did what you did to Jeremy’s memory of Vicki, what else did you do to him?”

“You asked me to take away his memory of fangs and all the bad stuff. You wanted me to take away his suffering” he said making it as clear as possible. “But he’s acting different. He seems okay with everything and a little too okay. I mean he’s studying, he’s not doing drugs; he’s not drinking; are you sure you didn’t do something else?” she asked wanting to know, but Damon only rolled his eyes before looking at her dead in the eye so she’d understand “Elena, I took away his suffering” he said before walking away from her. Elena sighed in relief that her brother finally had a chance to be happy. When she turned around again Bonnie and Stefan were gone.

Stefan walked up to Caroline who was busy having an animated conversation with one of her cheerleading friends. Bonnie had decided that she needed the ladies room after he tried for the hundredth time to teach her how to play pool and figured he’d use the time to thank Caroline for the work she put into this party “Hey, Caroline” he said from behind her, making the girl in question turn around and look up at him “Hey, Birthday boy. Where’s your better half?” she asked looking behind him as if Bonnie was hiding there.

“Oh um, she had to go to the bathroom” he said pointing in that general direction “I actually wanted to talk to you, to thank you for this party. Bonnie told me you put everything together”.

“Well I love a challenge, and that girl can be really convincing when she wants to be”.

“Yeah” he said with a goofy smile on his face which Caroline rolled her eyes at. “Can I ask you a serious question?” she asked using this opportunity to ask the question she’s been dying to ask since he first showed up in mystic falls. He seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking about right then “Um, yeah sure”.

“What’s going on with you and Bonnie? I mean I know you guys are best friends and that there’s history there, but let me tell you Stefan I don’t look at any of my best friends the way you look at Bonnie. You have feelings for her, and really strong ones at that” she didn’t state it as a question which only served to make Stefan uncomfortable. _Did everyone know?_

 “And it’s okay if you do” she said quickly when she saw the freaked out look on his face “It’s just, why did you date Elena if you felt so strongly about Bonnie”.

“I didn’t know” was all he thought to say right then. “I’ve always felt the same way about Bonnie, I guess I never realized what those feelings were until recently”.

Caroline nodded in understanding as she grabbed ahold of his shoulder in comfort “You have your work cut out for you, Stefan” she said without elaborating, but he knew what she meant. He was grateful that she didn’t judge him and that she didn’t think that he was just using Elena because that’s not what he did at all, he really did like Elena. Caroline was about to leave him alone when he called out to her, stopping her “I’m sorry for what Damon did to you, I never should have let it go that far” he said sincerely and she shook her head at him “It’s not your fault, Stefan, but thank you for the apology” she said turning from him again and he stopped her again “Caroline, I’d really like us to be friends if that’s okay” he said thinking that this is the most that they’ve ever spoken. She was Bonnie’s friend and despite the fact that she always looked so put together, right now he saw another side of her, her real self.

“Yeah, I’d really like that” she said smiling and he returned it before finally letting her go.

Outside, Sheriff Forbes looked at the bite marks on the dead teenager’s neck before standing up again and turning to one of her officers “Keep this contained”.

“That’s not all” he said before showing her the frightened witness who was quietly sobbing in the corner “Hey, hey” the sheriff said soothingly as she approached the young girl. “Did you see what did this?” she asked and the girl nodded slowly “Tell me everything you saw”.

Bonnie bumped into a strong chest as she walked out of the girl’s room “Oh sorry, I didn’t s-” she started but cut herself off when she saw who it was “Ben, um hey”.

“Hey, Bonnie” he said with a smile that made her slightly uncomfortable “How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. Listen Ben, I’m so sorry for ditching you at the founders’ party” she said still feeling guilty about it. She would’ve apologized sooner, but with everything that’s happened, it wasn’t really something that was on her mind. “That’s okay, but you know that means we have to have a second date, right?” he said and she only smiled uneasily, not really sure she wanted to go on another date with him.

“Sorry to interrupt this little awkward moment” Damon’s voice said from next to them, making Bonnie feel a little less uncomfortable by his presence. She never thought she’d ever be happy about Damon inserting himself in her conversations, but right now he was saving her from an awkward conversation with Ben. “It’s fine” she said quickly before Ben could send him away “What do you want, Damon?”

“I actually want to talk to your little boy toy over here” he said looking at Ben, who smirked at him and Bonnie didn’t even care enough to wonder how they knew each other, she was just grateful for the escape, from both of them. “Okay, bye Ben” she said and quickly walked off.

“You didn’t do what I told you” Ben said without preamble and Damon rolled his eyes “The night is young, I’ll get to it” he said which only seemed to antagonize Ben, which is exactly what Damon wanted, he needed him distracted.

“Look around let me know if you see anything” Sheriff Forbes said from the door as she walked in with the witness. The girl looked around until she spotted Damon and Ben and pointed towards them.

Ben subtly grabbed ahold of Damon’s arm and twisted it a bit without anyone seeing and stepped into his personal space “I’m not a very patient man, Damon” he sneered close to his ear while Damon tried to keep a straight face and not show any pain. Suddenly Ben felt himself get weaker and touched his neck as Sheriff Forbes injected vervain into him. Ben dropped to the ground, letting go of Damon “Thank you for the vervain; now if you’ll excuse me” she said as her officers took Ben away.

Bonnie saw what happened and ran after them to see what was happening, what had Damon done this time? Stefan saw her running towards the exit and went after her along with Damon and other curious teens, including Elena and Caroline.

Outside, the officers and Sheriff were taking Ben to the police car when he threw the officers off of him. Sheriff Forbes shot him with rubber bullets when he tried to attack her, but he was too strong and she ended up pressed against her police car with nowhere to go “Mom!” she heard Caroline yell for her, but ignored her, silently willing her to go back inside so she wouldn’t have to see this. She closed her eyes and waited with bated breath for her death to come, but it never did. When she opened her eyes again she saw Damon’s back towards her as he stood between them, with a stake through Ben’s heart “You were right, I am smart” he whispered in his ear before dropping Ben’s lifeless body to the ground. “Oh my gosh!” Bonnie whispered in shock, trying to reconcile what just happened. Stefan saw what happened and pulled a shocked Bonnie against his chest so she wouldn’t have to look at Ben’s body.

Damon turned around to look at the Sheriff “You okay?” he asked and she nodded “Thank you” she said sincerely before turning to her officers, who were on their feet again “Get him in the car quickly” she said and turned around just in time to be enveloped into a hug by her daughter “I was so scared, mom” she said as she cried on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, honey. It’s okay” she said and that only seemed to make her cry more. After a few more minutes of just standing there hugging, Caroline pulled away and looked at her mom with tears in her eyes. The sheriff wiped the tears from her eyes before kissing her forehead “I’m sorry I haven’t been a very good mother to you” she said as her own eyes filled with tears “That’s going to change”.

“I’m holding you to that” Caroline said and embraced her mom again. When they let go off each other again Sheriff Forbes noticed that Damon was still standing there “Pretty handy with that Stake” she said with one arm still around Caroline, keeping her close and Damon noticed that she wouldn’t look at him.

“It just…reflex. I guess the adrenaline kicked in” he said still looking at the young girl before turning to her mother “This nightmare is finally over” she breathed, but Damon wasn’t so sure. He couldn’t stop thinking about who Ben was running from, and that this might just be the beginning of a never ending nightmare. “Thank you again, Damon” she said drawing him from his thoughts and he smiled down at her “You’re welcome” he said before leaving them alone to go search for his brother.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding house**

Stefan led Bonnie into the parlor so she could sit down. After what happened at the grill he decided to bring her back here so she could think. He was having trouble with what happened himself, how could they have missed the fact that Ben was a vampire. Who turned him? When? How did Damon find out about him? And how many more were there? There were so many unanswered questions and the only person who could’ve answered them was dead.

Something was coming, something bad and they had to figure out what it was. He poured Bonnie a glass of water and handed it to her before taking a seat next to her. He could tell by the look on her face that she was asking questions of her own “Are you okay?” he asked as he quietly placed his hand on the one that wasn’t holding the glass of water, pulling her out of her thoughts “Ben was a vampire?” she said it as a question, it still didn’t make sense in her mind. She was a witch, if he was a vampire then she would’ve felt it, right. Like she did with Stefan and Damon. Why didn’t she feel it this time?

“Yes, he was” he said and she looked up at him for the first time since they got there and shook her head “I’m a witch, Stefan. If he was a vampire then I would’ve known, right? Why didn’t I know?” she asked him even though she knew he didn’t have an answer for her. “I don’t know Bonnie, maybe you didn’t know because you’re still new at this, your powers haven’t fully manifested yet”. She looked down at the glass of water again and thought about how she almost flooded her house, it wasn’t because her magic hadn’t fully manifested yet, it was because she had too much of it and she didn’t know how to use it but she hadn’t told him that yet and she was starting to feel guilty about keeping it from him.

“Stefan” she said quietly still looking at her glass “I-” she started to get the words out when the door opened and in walked Damon. “What was that, Damon?” Stefan asked as he got off the couch and Damon sighed as he went to go pour himself a glass of bourbon while they patiently waited for him to finish what he was doing. Damon took a sip of his drink before he actually addressed them “He was a vampire” he said shrugging which only annoyed Bonnie “Yeah we know that Damon, but how is he a vampire? Who turned him?” Stefan asked and Damon shook his head “I don’t know, but he was stronger than me which means he’s older than us”.

“How is that possible? I used to go to high school with him before he graduated” Bonnie spoke up for the first time.

“That doesn’t mean anything. Stefan goes to high school with you and 95% of your student body believes he’s human”.

“Yeah, but there were no animal attacks when he was around back then, Damon” she said getting frustrated with him. “Maybe he was careful, Bonnie or got his food somewhere else!” he said just as frustrated with her.

“Okay, both of you calm down” he said placing a hand on Bonnie’s shoulder, silently pleading with her. He knew that Bonnie hated Damon for what he did to Zach and all those people, and honestly he was impressed by the fact that she hadn’t attacked him yet, now that she had her magic. “How did you find out he was a vampire?” Stefan asked. Damon sighed before he took a seat on the couch opposite theirs and told them everything Ben had said to him.

“He knew I was a witch?” Bonnie asked feeling sick all of a sudden and Damon nodded “From what I could gather he seemed to know about the entire Bennett line, he just never met one before”.

“And you killed him to protect Bonnie? Why?” Stefan asked skeptically and Damon was already vigorously shaking his head no “No, no, no. I did it to protect myself. He said I either get the witch or he exposes us so I had to kill him because I knew that if I let him get BonBon then you’d do something stupid which would get us exposed anyway” he said exasperated by the fact that everyone seemed to think they know him.

“So you did it to protect Stefan” Bonnie said with a hint of a smirk on her face and Damon glared at her, but she wasn’t intimidated by him because as hard as Damon tried to hide it, he really cared for his brother, even if he didn’t care about anyone else.

“Okay so we need to figure out who he was running from so we know what we’re up against in case they decide to come here looking for him” Stefan said getting them back on track and Bonnie nodded before her mind unconsciously went back to her dream _He’s coming_.  Her blood ran cold as she remembered the dream as clear as day and couldn’t help, but wonder if all this was connected.

“You okay there BonBon, you look like you’ve seen a ghost” Damon said watching her carefully and Bonnie blinked up at them and tried to keep the fear from her eyes. Stefan looked worried about her, but she didn’t want to worry him in case it was nothing, she was just speculating so there was no need to make anyone else worry. “Caroline almost lost her mom tonight” she said instead of telling them what had her so scared, and honestly Caroline had been on her mind as well. If the Sheriff knew about vampires it was only a matter of time until Caroline got caught in the middle of it all and she wanted her to be prepared for it all. “I’m gonna go see her, and I’m gonna tell her about all of this. If her mom’s involved then she deserves to know” she said as she got off the couch and placed the glass of water on the coffee table before turning to the two brothers to see if they had any objections “You’re right” Stefan said “She deserves to know”. Bonnie nodded at him before turning to Damon, who was looking down at his glass “Damon” she said, trying to get his attention.

“Do what you want, BonBon” he said without looking up at her and Bonnie wondered what was bothering him before deciding she didn’t care enough to ask. “You want me to come with you?” Stefan asked turning to face her again, he was probably wondering what was wrong with Damon too.

“No I’ll be fine” she said and gave him a quick hug “I’ll see you, Salvatore” she said before leaving the boarding house, heading to the Forbes residence.

Something was after them and she hoped she could figure out what it was before any of her friends got hurt, but first she had to figure out who the woman in her dream was.


	17. Ayanna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay. Things have been so hectic lately so I haven't been able to write, but don't worry I'm not giving up on this story. Please let me know what you think in the comments below and I hope you are all enjoying it.

**_Mystic Falls High_ **

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

_“Today we're going to talk about shadow reckoning. This is a method of measuring heights by the sun's shadow. Let's say, for example, that we're going to measure the distance of a shadow. We're gonna take this measure here, measure the length, and we're going to multiply that by the height of the source. Building height can also be measured, using a clinometer, which we're going to make in class tomorrow” Mr. Samuels was saying in class while I was sitting at my desk in Math class, trying to stay awake during his boring lecture. I sat up on my desk to try and wake myself up when I noticed something in the hallway. I stole a glance at Mr. Samuels, who was busy writing on the board so I got up and made my escape._

_I noticed a woman standing at the end of the hallway wearing weird clothes which looked to be from a different era “Hello?” I called out to her as I got closer, but I still couldn’t see her face properly. She turned around and walked out of the school, I felt drawn to her for some reason so I followed her and when I walked out the double doors of the school I could see the house from my dream up ahead with the woman walking towards it._

_I continued to follow her and when I turned around the school was gone and instead there was an open space with a bunch of trees; we were in the woods. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if this was really happening and when I opened them again I was inside an abandoned house I’ve never been in before with the woman from my dream standing in front of me. She was beautiful, with soft dark skin and dreadlocks she tied up. What surprised me was the fact that I wasn’t scared like I was before, this woman’s eyes were warm and familiar, like I’d seen them before on someone else._

_“It’s you, who are you?” I asked in wonder and curiosity. “I'm Ayanna” she said with a warm smile “You know that. We're family”._

_“Where am I?” I asked looking around the house, how did I even get here?_

_“This is where it all started, where the original vampires were created. This is where I died, Bonnie” She said, her face solemn, and filled with pain and regret all of a sudden. I shook my head in disbelief “No. This isn't real” I said feeling frightened again and started to run towards the door, but Ayanna blocked my way “Come to me, Bonnie”._

I woke up with a gasp in the middle of the woods with the old house right ahead of me “What is going on with me?” I asked no one in particular, my voice shaking with fear. I knew the answers I wanted were inside that house, I could feel it, but I wasn’t ready to find out what was waiting for me inside.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I walked into the school hallway when I was immediately pulled by the arm by a pissed off looking Elena “Hey Elena” I greeted as I let her push me against the lockers “No, don’t hey me. What the hell was that last night? I though you and Damon were the only vampires around, did Damon turn Ben?” she whisper-shouted at me and I really didn’t need this from her right now, not when there was a possibility that we could all be in danger because of that guy.

“It wasn’t Damon, Elena. Ben was already a vampire when Damon found out and before you ask, no I don’t know who turned him. It’s what we’re trying to figure out. Right now all we know is that he was running from someone”.

“Do you have any clues as to who that is?” she asked concerned now and I shook my head no. “Well I want to help” she said determined.

“I thought you didn’t want to have anything to do with this” I said plainly “I changed my mind, if Bonnie’s involved then I want to help her” she said and I knew she wasn’t going to back down, great now I had to worry about her wellbeing as well.

“I think you should talk to Bonnie about this, okay” I said hoping Bonnie could talk some sense into her. Speaking of Bonnie, she’d be late if she didn’t get here soon. She texted me last night when she got home and told me that Caroline knew everything and that she seemed to understand, but would need some time. She also asked me not to pick her up this morning, well more like begged until I reluctantly agreed, which I was regretting right now.

“Fine, but I’m not backing down” she said pulling me from my thoughts “Where is she?” she asked and I was about to tell her that she was probably running late when we saw her walking down the hallway, something was different. She looked like she hadn’t gotten any sleep, her green eyes were darker and her curls were wilder than usually. I pushed myself off the locker and went to her, but she didn’t seem to see me. “Bonnie” I called her name and she looked up, finally noticing me “What’s wrong?” I asked and she just shook her head, “What’s going on, Bonnie I can see you’re clearly not okay. You look like you’ve been up all night” I said as Elena came closer too “Now tell me what’s wrong with you” I said sternly and she sighed, showing how exhausted she really was. She nudged her head towards an empty classroom before walking towards it with us walking closely behind her. I closed the door behind us while Bonnie sat on one of the desks with her head in her hands, her curls falling onto her face. When she heard the door close she looked up again and tried to move her hair from her face, but a few curls weren’t behaving.

“I’ve been having these…dreams, visions…I don’t know, but they’ve been keeping me up at night”.

“What kind of dreams?” Elena asked while I stood by the door watching Bonnie, whatever was going on with her had her really freaked out even though she tried to hide it “I’m in this house, and there’s always this woman there” Bonnie said, she looked like she was either trying to make sense of it all or trying to figure out how much to actually tell us. “I don’t know what she wants” she looked down when she said that and I knew she was lying, but why?

“It’s going to be okay, Bonnie. You’re sleeping at my house tonight, both you and Caroline” Elena said hugging her while I stayed where I am watching the two friends hug. Bonnie was scared of something and whatever it was kept her from being honest with me.

At lunch time I went looking for Bonnie, she wasn’t in the lunchroom which meant there was only one other place she’d be, if she was even still at school. I walked outside and saw her sitting at our table, the one we’d sit at when we didn’t want to eat with the rest of the school. It was behind the school and students rarely ever went there so we claimed it as ours. She looked like she was asleep, her arms were crossed, acting as a pillow for her head and she was breathing evenly while her hair formed a curtain over her face. I put the sandwich I got her on the table and sat down across from her before shaking her awake “Wake up, Bunny” I said close to her ear and she groaned in response “I got you your favorite sandwich” I said pushing it closer to her and she opened one eye, inspecting it, before actually lifting her head, taking it out of its wrapper and taking a bite.

She finished it quickly, which meant she must’ve been really hungry because she probably skipped breakfast, and then propped her elbows onto the table to rest her head in her hands “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Nope” she mumbled into her hands and I reached over and pulled her hands from her face so she’d look at me and I used my free hand to move her hair from her face, and even though she looked exhausted she was still so beautiful, the untamed hair making her look adorable. She finally looked up at me and gave me a weak smile.

As much as I wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on with her I could tell that right now she didn’t need me grilling her about it and I really didn’t have the heart to do it right now either so I just kept holding her hands, playing with them. “I think I’ll just head home, get some sleep before going to Elena’s” She said after a while, breaking the comfortable silence we were in.

“You want me to come with you?” I asked, still playing with her hands. “No, I’ll be fine” she said getting up “I’ll, um I’ll see you, Salvatore” she said softly and walked away from me.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

**_General POV_ **

Stefan walked into the grill wondering what he was going to do with himself since Bonnie was gone for the rest of the night. He was happy that they were having a girl’s night, she deserved it after what’s been going on, but he just hoped that she’d be honest with him about everything soon because if they were going to stand any kind of a chance against what was coming then they needed to work together.

As he got closer to the bar he saw his brother drinking by himself in one of the stools. Damon has always been complicated, even when they were kids. Stefan always thought that maybe it was because their mother passed away when they were little. He didn’t remember much of her, not like Damon, they had a special bond and it broke him when she died and left them alone with their abusive father. Giuseppe would get drunk every night and beat them up just because he could, he especially picked on Damon because he would always stand up to him and stand up for Stefan as well.

_“You’re my brother”._

“So are you just going to stand behind me and keep being creepy or are you actually going to take a seat” Damon’s voice drew him from the memory.

“Can I get a coffee, please?” Stefan said to the new bartender as he took a seat on the stool next to Damon’s. “So, what’s with the bottle?”

“I’m on edge. Crash diet. You know, I’m trying to keep a low profile” he said, which was smart because they didn’t need to draw any more attention to themselves after getting lucky the last time.

“You could just leave, find a new town to turn into your own personal Gas ‘n Sip”.

“I’ll manage” he said ignoring the little twist in his undead heart from what Stefan just said “You don’t need to keep an eye on me” he said drinking his bourbon.

“I’m not keeping an eye on you” he said as he got his coffee. “So, why are you here?”

“Why not?”

* * *

 

**Gilbert Residence**

The three friends were in the kitchen making snacks so they could get this slumber party on the road. Bonnie had gotten there first, feeling a lot better than she did earlier that day and told Elena that she told Caroline about everything that’s been going on. Bonnie also apologized about not telling her about Stefan, and Elena got where she was coming from because it really wasn’t her secret to tell. They hugged it out and Bonnie told her that she was a witch and that it was the reason she was being haunted after Elena asked her if she was okay, so all in all it was a lot to take in for her, but it was also really cool. Caroline showed up half an hour later and they all changed into their pajamas before they headed to the kitchen.

“You know, ever since you told me about Damon and Stefan, a lot of things started making sense to me” Caroline said as she poured the popcorn into a bowl and her two friends looked at her, waiting for her to continue “Like all the gaps in my memory and the bite marks” she said not looking at them and they could tell that even though she was trying to make light of what happened to her, it still really hurt.

“Caroline” Bonnie said sympathetically and the girl just shook her head, she didn’t want them feeling sorry for her. The bite marks were fading and soon they’d be gone, all she needed was time then her heart would heal as well. What pissed her off even more was the fact that the same guy that hurt her saved her mom’s life, like what the hell kind of game was he playing?

“You know what’s messed up though?” she asked not really expecting an answer “He saved my mom and I don’t know how to feel about that” she said, at this point they’d all stopped what they were doing and were all standing around the counter listening to each other.

“Damon’s complicated” Bonnie spoke up, not knowing how else to explain it. “No, he’s a psychopath, plain and simple” Elena responded simply because in her eyes Damon wasn’t some equation that had to be figured out, he was a killer and that would never change.

“No Elena, you know how life isn’t always black and white? Well, Damon lives in the grey”.

“You’re only saying that because he’s your best friend’s brother, you don’t really get it” Caroline said a little upset that Bonnie was taking his side. Bonnie cleared her throat and blinked away the tears that started forming in her eyes “Damon killed my Uncle Zach, and then he turned around and protected me and Stefan. I hate him for what he did, but I’m not only consumed by hate when it comes to Damon Salvatore” Bonnie said quickly before she could get emotional again and the two girls stared at her in shock before their faces softened “I didn’t know you and Uncle Zach were close” Elena said quietly and Bonnie nodded, “Nobody did, I kept it a secret. He was like a father to me, and now he’s dead but for some twisted reason I can still stand here and say Damon is no psychopath”. Caroline approached her first and gave her a bone crushing hug and pretty sooner she was enveloped into a group hug with her friends, each of them tearing up a little bit.

“Alright enough of this” Caroline said pulling away and fanning her eyes so she wouldn’t start crying again. “So my best friend’s a badass witch, what’s that like?” she asked changing the subject.

“I’m not badass” Bonnie chuckled, wiping away her tears “And it’s awful”. That worried Caroline “Why what’s wrong?”

“I’m being haunted by my ancestor” she said making Caroline look at her in surprise “Seriously? Well, have you talked to your Grams about it?”

“She’s just going to tell me to accept it, and I don’t want to accept it I want it to stop” she said and both girls gave her a sympathetic look which she really didn’t need right now “No, don’t feel sorry for me” she told them sternly and they both tried to look normal again.

“Okay well you know what we could do? A séance” Caroline said enthusiastically and Bonnie was already shaking her head no “I don’t think that’s a good idea” she said nervously.

“Come on. Let’s summon some spirits” she said already heading to Elena’s room with the two girls reluctantly trailing after her.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill**

“Lucky Shot” Damon said as he watched his brother hit another bullseye. After they finished their drinks they decided to play some darts seeing as neither of them had anything better to do.

“More like a carefully honed skill over many decades” Stefan responded with a smirk as he walked over to the dart board to retrieve the darts. “You’re beating me”.

“Yeah. It’s because I’m better than you” he said as he handed over the darts and Damon shook his head “I’m onto you. Reverse psychology. It’s a little transparent, but I admire the effort”.

“You’re prefer the brooding forehead?”

“No one prefers that” Damon said as he walked up to his spot so he could start throwing darts, but Stefan stopped him “I know you hate me for what I did to you” he said as Damon turned to look at him, wondering why he would bring this up now “But Damon, I want you to know that I’m truly sorry for taking that choice away from you. I guess I needed my brother” Stefan said hoping he could see how sincere he was being.

“Why are you apologizing to me?” Damon asked skeptically and a little uncomfortable, he wasn’t good with feelings and Stefan knew this so why were they talking about this now? “Because you need to know how truly sorry I am, I never said it before and you need to hear it”. Damon didn’t know how to respond to that so he just handed him the darts and left him standing there.

* * *

 

**Gilbert Residence**

They were sitting on the floor in Elena’s room holding hands with lit candles around them, Bonnie didn’t use her magic to light them though, and she wasn’t ready to cause another accident so they used match sticks.

“What are we doing?” Bonnie whispered to Elena, leaning closer to her so Caroline wouldn’t hear. “I don’t know” She whispered back.

“Be quiet and concentrate” Caroline reprimanded them as she opened her eyes to speak at them “Close your eyes and take a deep breath” She said and they obeyed, not even wanting to know how she knew how to perform a séance. “Bonnie, call to her”.

Bonnie took a deep breath and couldn’t believe that she was actually doing this “Um, Ayanna, you there?” she asked unsure how she’s exactly supposed to “call to her”.

Caroline opened her eyes and glared at her “Really? ‘Ayanna, you there?’ That’s all you got? Come on”.

“Fine, geez. Ayanna. I call on you. I know you have a message. I’m here to listen” and the candles immediately flare stronger and they immediately let go of each other, a little freaked out. “Did that just-” Elena said cutting herself off, this was such a bad idea.

“Yeah it just happened” Caroline responded. “It’s just the air conditioning” Bonnie said, not wanting to believe that Ayanna was really there. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what her message was at all.

“Ask her to show you a sign” Caroline pushed and Bonnie swallowed nervously, she wasn’t ready for this. When she didn’t say anything Caroline spoke up “Ayanna, if you’re among us, show us another sign”. They wait for a minute and nothing happens, making Bonnie sigh in relief.

“See? It’s not working” she said and the windows burst open, scaring her to death “I can’t, I’m done” she said getting up and suddenly the candles blew out, making her even more jumpy “Get the light. Please, get the light! She said frantically, regretting ever listening to Caroline about doing this stupid Séance.

“Hold on. I got it” Elena said calmly, hoping it would help Bonnie calm down herself. “Bonnie, are you okay?” she asked her friend once the lights were on again.

“Yeah I’m fine, I just need a splash of water” she said before walking into the bathroom and the door shut immediately behind her. “You guys open the door! Help me!” Bonnie screamed when she couldn’t get the door open.

“Bonnie! Bonnie! What’s going on, Bonnie?” Elena yelled through the door, trying to get it open, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Bonnie” a new voice said calmly from behind her and she immediately stiffened because she recognized that voice. She slowly turned around to come face to face with the woman who’s been haunting her.

_“Bonnie! Bonnie! Unlock the door!”_ She could still hear Caroline yelling on the other side of the door while the woman in front of her walked closer. When she’s close enough, Ayanna reaches out her hand towards Bonnie’s forehead and as soon as she makes contact Bonnie passes out.

The door opened suddenly and the two girls found her unconscious on the floor. “Oh my gosh” Elena breathes as they run to her and lift her head “Bonnie wake up. Come on Bon, wake up” Elena said slapping her face lightly hoping it’ll wake her up.

“What’s wrong with her? Why isn’t she waking up?” Caroline asked frantic, feeling a little guilty for what happened.

“I don’t know, Caroline!” she yelled at her before taking a calming breath, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell at you, just get my phone and call Stefan, he’ll know what to do” she instructed her and Caroline ran out the room to go get Elena’s phone. She dialed his number once she found it “Elena?” his voice came through the speakers a little confused.

“No, this is Caroline. Stefan, its Bonnie, something happened” she said before she heard the line go dead without getting a response.

In the bathroom, Elena was trying to splash Bonnie’s face with water “Come on Bon, wake up” she whispered, pleading for her to wake up.

_“Why me? I’m just a newbie witch whose powers don’t even work right” Bonnie told Ayanna, they were back at the old house again, but this time she knew it wasn’t a dream because she was just with her friends. Ayanna was telling her to go to where it all began and Bonnie remembered her saying that it was where the house now stood, she knew where it was, she did wake up there this morning after all, but she ran away wanting to get as far away from that house as possible._

_“Because I chose you, Bonnie and the problem is not with your magic, it’s you. You refuse to accept who you are” She said and Bonnie shook her head, “What are you talking about? I have been practicing everyday since I found out I was a witch” Bonnie said feeling frustrated, how dare she accuse her of not accepting who she was._

_“No Bonnie, you haven’t. You have a purpose, a destiny and I have been trying to tell you this, but you keep rejecting my call to you, running from who you were meant to be”._

_“That’s because I’m terrified!” she yelled in frustration, finally voicing out her fears as tears stung her eyes “I’m new at this and I just want to protect my friends, I don’t want to be a part of some greater purpose, so why does it have to be me?” she asked defeated, as a stray tear fell from her eyes._

_“Because you’re the strongest”._

“What the hell happened?” Stefan demanded as he barged into the bathroom and picked up an unconscious Bonnie into his arms and carried her to Elena’s bed. “It was an accident” Elena said following after him while Caroline stood by the door watching them anxiously “She was telling us about her ancestor who was haunting her so we decided to have a séance an-”.

“A what?” Stefan yelled, his voice booming in the room. “It was my fault” Caroline spoke up, not wanting Elena to be yelled at for her mistake. She honestly didn’t believe that it would work when she suggested it, she just thought it would be fun, she was wrong. “I’m sorry, Stefan”.

“Do you guys have any idea how dangerous a séance is?” he asked them and they just looked down, scared to look him in the eye. Stefan sighed trying to calm himself down, there was no point in yelling at them now, the damage was already done and he just hoped that Bonnie would wake up soon so he wouldn’t have to call Sheila and explain to her that her only granddaughter was involved in a séance.

He walked back towards the bed sat on it, leaning closer to Bonnie “Come on, wake up Bunny” he whispered in her ear.

_“We don’t have much time, he will wake you soon” Ayanna said making her curious. “Who?”_

_Ayanna only shook her head, refusing to respond “Come to where it all began, Bonnie. Accept who you are” she said before she disappeared._

Bonnie slowly opened her eyes and came face to face with Stefan, who was looking down at her with a fond smile on his face as he watched her wake up “Are you okay?” he asked softly for only her to hear, he was still leaning close to her, hovering over her body. It only took her a minute to wake up after he asked her to and right now as she looked at him all she could do was reach out her hand and trace his face with her finger, engraving what he looked like into her memory. All she could see was him, she didn’t know where she was or what happened to her and she didn’t care because Stefan was there, and that was all that mattered.

It was such an intimate moment that Elena and Caroline felt like they were intruding. Caroline looked over at Elena and saw the hurt look in her eyes so she cleared her throat so she’d put her out of her misery “Are you okay, Bonnie?” Caroline asked, smiling at her friend as she walked closer to the bed. She was still amazed at the fact that it was Stefan’s voice that seemed to bring her back from where ever she was.

The couple snapped out of whatever moment they were in, with Bonnie dropping her hand as she remembered where she was, the guilt setting in when she saw Elena standing off in the corner. “What happened?” Bonnie asked as she sat up, making Stefan reluctantly move away from her.

“You passed out. It was all my fault, I’m so sorry, Bonnie” Caroline said apologetically and Bonnie was already shaking her head “No it wasn’t, Caroline. It was my fault, I shouldn’t have run” she said confusing everyone in the room. “What do you mean?” Stefan asked and she looked at him again, wondering what had gotten into her to make her act the way she did when she first woke up.

“I mean I’m a witch, and I need to accept every part of what that entails”.

He nodded, but was still kinda worried about her “Do you want me to call Sheila?”

“No, please. I just, I just need some fresh air” she said getting off the bed. Stefan was about to get up too when she stopped him with her hand “Alone” she said sternly before heading for the door.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Elena asked, speaking up for the first time since Bonnie woke up. She finally managed to compose herself and tried to brush off what just happened between Bonnie and Stefan, as impossible as it was.

“Yeah, um thanks for calling me” he said as he got off the bed “And I’m sorry for yelling at you guys”.

“No it’s fine, you were worried, we all were” Caroline said looking at Elena, who nodded in agreement.

“Does this happened a lot? With witches I mean, have you ever…” Elena trailed off, hoping he got what she meant. This was all still very awkward for her to talk about with him.

“I understand…and no. I mean I’ve seen witches do a séance to call on a spirit, but none of them ever passed out from it, which is what worries me. I think she’s hiding something” he said the last part more to himself.

“What do you think it is?” Caroline asked curiously. “I don’t know, but I’m going to get it out of her. I’ll see you guys late” He said. Elena was about to tell him that she didn’t think that was a good idea, but he was already gone.

Stefan walked out the front door of the Gilbert household and when he got outside he realized that Bonnie’s car was missing “Damn it, Bonnie!” he yelled in frustration, that girl was going to be the death of him.


	18. History Repeating

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_General POV_ **

Damon could just punch Stefan in the face right now, he just had to go and ruin a perfectly good love-hate relationship by apologizing for the past. He was standing in his room holding a picture of them from when they were kids. Stefan didn’t know he had it and if he got his way, he never will. It was taken two years after their mom passed away, he was eleven years old at the time, and it was supposed to be a family portrait, but after Lily Salvatore died from consumption you couldn’t get Giuseppe to do much of anything other than drink and beat up his kids.

You couldn’t tell from the black and white picture, but Damon actually had a black eye. He still remembered the day he got it like it was yesterday, Giuseppe had been drinking, but then again what else was new and he was agitated with Stefan for some reason because Damon heard yelling coming from his office as he walked down the stairs. He’d rushed to his father’s office when he heard a loud thud against the door and when he opened the door he found six year old Stefan on the floor clutching his cheek as he sobbed quietly. The sight of his brother crying was enough to make Damon attack his father, even though he knew it was a fight he wasn’t going to win.

_“Damon, why would you do such a thing?” Stefan asked as he passed his brother a packet of frozen peas for his eye. Stefan never understood why Damon would always anger his father more and try to attack him even though he knew the odds were against him. “He hurt you, I was not going to let him get away with it” Damon responded simply as he placed the packet on his eye._

_“Damon, he could have seriously hurt you. You do not have to come to my rescue every time father hits me. He just wants to see me down, and when I am he leaves me alone”._

_“Hey!” Damon said slightly louder than he intended, making Stefan jump a little. Every little thing scared him now, and he blamed his father for that “You are my brother, and not his punching bag. It doesn’t matter how big he is or how badly he beats me up, I will always protect you, from anyone who tries to hurt you” he said grabbing a hold of his shoulder so he would look at him and understand that what he was saying was true._

_“I don’t wish to lose you, Damon” the little boy said with tears in her eyes. “And you won’t. It’s you and me, right?” Stefan nodded before giving his brother a tight hug “I will always need you, Damon” he whispered into his ear, not ready to let go yet._

Like he said, he remembered that day like it was yesterday and right now he felt like it was haunting him.

* * *

 

**The Old House**

Bonnie stood outside the door of the old house, trying to gather up enough courage to actually go inside. She lied to her friends, she lied to Stefan, because as soon as she got outside back at Elena’s house she got into her car before she could talk herself out of it and drove to this house and now that she was here she could feel the fear creep in again so she took a quick breath and opened the door, walking inside.

It looked deserted, like no one had stayed there in years “Okay!” she yelled into the air “I’m here!” she walked further into the house, looking around and wondering what she was doing here exactly. “Bonnie” a voice said from behind her, making her jump. She turned around and came face to face with her best friend “Don’t do that! You scared the crap out of me!” she yelled at him, as if being here didn’t freak her out enough “How did you find me anyway?”

“I followed your scent. What is this place?”

“I don’t know, but she told me to come here”.

“Who?”

“Ayanna Bennett” she said being drawn to the basement all of a sudden, with Stefan following closely behind her. When she got to the basement Bonnie closed her eyes, trying to focus on the woman who's been haunting her dreams. She was about to give up when she felt something, a connection.

“Bonnie” the familiar voice said and she opened her eyes to see a young woman standing in front of her.

“Ayanna”. The woman gave her a warm smile and then turned to look at the man behind her “Stefan Salvatore” she smiled at him as well, looking at the both of them with fondness in her eyes as he stepped forward to stand next to Bonnie.

“How do you know me?”

“It's my business to know. You are connected to my family after all”,

“I'm the protector of the Bennett line”.

Ayanna chuckled a bit at the information he gave her because she already knew that, only that wasn't really the case. “I'm sorry for the burden I've placed on you” she told them and Bonnie could see the sadness in her eyes. “There is a great evil coming, an abomination that should've never been allowed to walk on this Earth, and that is my fault”.

“What do you mean?” Stefan asked.

“Back in the 10th Century this used to be my home, mine and my best friend, Esther’s. It was long before this house was built though, anyway Esther and I were both witches and we grew up here and when we were of age she met her husband, Mikael Mikaelson. She was so in love with him and so was he so they married and had seven children over the years that they were married, but then tragedy struck and they lost their youngest, Hendrik, to a werewolf attack”. She was about to continue when Bonnie stopped her.

“Wait, werewolves exist?”

“This surprises you? Bonnie you need to believe that everything mythical and often described as fictional, exists because that’s the supernatural world we live in” she said and Bonnie nodded in understanding so Ayanna took that as her que to continue. “After little Henrik died Esther was so heartbroken that she came to me and asked me to help her make her family indestructible because she couldn’t bear to lose anyone else. I found an immortality spell created by our ancestor Qetsiyah, but it also spoke of the dire consequences of creating Vampires so I hid it from Esther. Her husband, Mikael found me with it and told me I was a traitor. Esther hated me after that, needless to say we fought because what they wanted to do would upset the balance of nature, but they did it anyway.

She wasn’t strong enough to perform the spell alone, but knew that if she killed me then she could channel my magic from the Earth and use it. I already knew this of course, every witch did, so I performed a transference spell so that my magic could be inherited by a member of my family who was strong enough to bear it without being consumed by it” she said looking right at her young descendant, she looked so young and frightened and Stefan could see it too, but since they are so closely connected because of her magic she’s been watching Bonnie since she was little and based on what she’s seen, fear and heartache never stopped her from doing something, especially when it came to the people she loved, so she could see why her magic chose her, even if Bonnie couldn’t see it herself, she would soon.

“What happened after they killed you?” Stefan asked pulling her back to the story. “Esther tapped into some dark magic and performed the spell anyway, but with the use of dark magic there are consequences, the ones that you experience everyday Stefan, because from that family all of you were created”.

“What do you want from me?” Bonnie asked softly looking at the ground, she couldn’t believe that this was actually happening right now and Ayanna felt saddened by what she was about to say next. “Esther had an affair, with the chief of the village’s werewolf clan so one of her children, Niklaus, was not Mikael’s son and when he was turned that triggered his werewolf gene and ever since he found out about who he truly was he’s been in search of a way to break the curse that was placed upon him to suppress his werewolf side so he could become a true hybrid. He intends on creating an army just like him, Bonnie”.

“And my destiny is to stop him” Bonnie whispered as she felt the full weight of what Ayanna was saying. She never asked for any of this, how was she supposed to face a thousand year old hybrid intent on destroying the world? She was only seventeen years old. Ayanna was wrong, she made a mistake because she wasn’t strong like she said.

All of this became too much for Bonnie to handle so she ran out. Stefan was about to go after her when Ayanna's voice stopped him in his tracks “Stefan” she said and he turned to her “You are more than just her protector, the two of you are connected” she could see the confusion in his eyes and she wanted to tell him everything, but she couldn't, she wasn't allowed to. “I can't tell you anymore, but everything happens for a reason. Emily could've chosen to save Damon that night, but she didn't. She risked being exposed and burning at the stake just to save you. Ask yourself why, Stefan and protect each other” she said and disappeared before Stefan could ask her what she meant.

He stood there dazed for a second before speeding out to find Bonnie. He finds her sitting outside on the stairs crying, at least she didn't just leave this time. She got up when she heard him walk out and quickly wiped her eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked coming to stand in front of her. “Yeah, I'm fine” she sniffed a little as she got herself together, but wouldn’t look at him.

“Bonnie, you're not fine”

“I'm fine, Stef-“

“Stop saying you're fine when I can see you're not. You're not fine, you're far from fine. You just found out that you're supposed to stop a psychopathic hybrid from creating an army to kill innocent people” he said placing his hands on her shoulders and stepping closer to her. “It's scary and overwhelming, you just realized your magic only to be told that you've inherited more magic from your ancestor, so don't tell me you're fine when you're clearly freaking out”.

Her eyes were glassy again, but she refused to cry again “I don't know if I'm build for this, Stefan. Her magic is too powerful for me, I can’t control it” she said, finally being honest with him and he is grateful that she's opening up to him again so he drew her into his arms and held her tight against his chest because if he was being honest he was freaking out himself and he was terrified of losing her, so he held her, reminding himself that she was still here, still safe. “Everything is going to be okay, we’ll figure this out together” he murmured against her neck as he buried his face there and he felt her nod in agreement as she held on tighter. 

He finally drew back a little to look at her, not quite ready to let go yet “I'll never let anything happened to you, Bunny” he said wiping her tears away and she can't help but chuckle a little bit at the name before seeing the intense look in his eyes and she swears no one has ever looked at her like that before. His eyes move to her lips before he leans in closer to her and she doesn't stop him and pretty soon their lips are touching and neither of them have ever felt more alive than they do in this moment. Bonnie's arms wrap around Stefan's neck as his arms come around her waist pulling her closer to him. Soon he pulls away from her so she can breathe and places his forehead against hers as she catches her breath. “Please don't run” he begged because he wouldn't be able to bear it if she pulled away from him right now. Bonnie didn't respond though she just stood there holding onto him, not ready to break his heart or her own yet. It was true, Bonnie Bennett was a loyal friend and she'd never do anything to intentionally hurt her friends, which is why she couldn't be with Stefan, as much as she wanted to. But for now she could pretend, so she let him kiss her again, enjoying the feel of his lips against hers and memorizing how she felt in this moment, where they were, how he looked at her. She memorized everything about this moment so she'd know that this wasn't a dream, that she let herself be happy with her love, even if it was for just a moment.


	19. The Historian

**Grams Residence**

**_General POV_ **

“What are you doing home? I thought you were sleeping over at Elena’s house?” Grams called out to her from the kitchen, Bonnie stopped questioning how grams always knew it was her without even seeing her a long time ago and right now she didn’t even care how she knew because she was just glad grams was still up this late. After what Ayanna told her, she didn’t know where else to go, she didn’t want to go back to her empty house and grams was the only person she could talk to about this.

When Sheila didn’t get a response she walked out of the Kitchen and saw her granddaughter standing by the door with tears stinging her eyes “What happened?” grams asked as she stood in the hallway, she had a worried look on her face. Bonnie started crying again when grams came up to her and gave her a hug. She couldn’t help it, this was all too much and on top of it all, she felt guilty for hiding it from her “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Grams” she managed to get out, feeling emotionally drained. Sheila let the girl cry on her shoulder for a bit while she whispered comforting words in her ear before she finally pulled away and wiped her tears away.

“Tell me what happened,” she said leading her into the living room so she could sit. Bonnie didn’t know if she could get through telling her what Ayanna said and after what happened with Stefan, all she wanted to do was sleep, but the lying had to stop so I took a deep breath and told her everything.

When Bonnie was done telling her story she eventually fell asleep on the couch. Sheila covered her granddaughter with a blanket, letting her sleep there for the night before she went and got her grimoire, looking for what she’s been dreading would come true for the past 30 years.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding house**

“You’re brooding, what’s wrong with you?” Damon asked as he watched Stefan from the door of his room. He’s been standing there for five minutes, watching him write in his journal and he still hadn’t acknowledged him, which meant something was wrong. Plus Damon hated being ignored.

“So you’re talking to me now?” Stefan asked without looking up. He was hurt when Damon just left the way he did, and since he’s been home Damon’s been ignoring him so why was he here now? He tried to fix their relationship and Damon basically slapped him in the face for it so he really didn’t need his opinion on his non-existent love life. When Stefan dropped Bonnie off at her Grams’ house she told him that she couldn’t be with him and he knew why, even though she didn’t come out and say it, because Bonnie Bennett is a loyal friend even when it hurts her, but if she thought he’d give up so easily then she was wrong.

Damon sighed as he walked into the room, he deserved Stefan’s hostility after basically spitting in his face after he apologized to him. The truth was he just needed to think about everything and he tried to pinpoint where exactly their relationship went wrong and it all led back to Katherine. Damon loved her, she never compelled him to do anything and he knew she was a vampire. That fact never stopped him from loving her, and yet she still chose Stefan, it was always Stefan and he resented his brother for that. Then Stefan had to go and apologize for the past and that took him back to when they relied on each other for survival against their Grinch of a father. For the first time in over a century he looked past himself and saw the bigger picture and questioned what kind of woman would let two brothers fight over her and watch them ruin their relationship over her? They really were idiots for letting her get between them and Damon was never good at admitting he was wrong, but he could admit it to himself that the events of the past weren’t all Stefan’s fault, they all played a part in how things turned out.

“Look Stefan, I’m not very good with feelings, and what you said threw me off, but I want you to know that I don’t hate you” He paused before quickly adding “anymore” and Stefan closed his journal and looked up at him for the first time since he walked in “What I’m trying to say is, it wasn’t all your fault. I mean, Katherine was a bitch” he said with a light smile playing on his lips. Stefan tried to keep a straight face, but he could tell he was slowly breaking down his little brother’s defenses.

“Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong with you or am I going to have to read it in your diary later, even though I can already take a guess as to what’s got you down”.

“That’s all I’m going to get as an apology, isn’t it?” Stefan said, knowing that it was probably torture for Damon to have to say what he did. “Take it, Stefan”.

“Fine,” he said before getting into the events of tonight. They were going to need all the help they could get for this one.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High**

It was weird being back in school as if everything was normal after what happened last night. For Elena and Caroline, they were just worried about Bonnie because she hadn’t updated them on what was going on with her and when they tried to talk to her this morning she just shook her head and headed to history class, which is where they all were right now because despite their lives right now, they were still teenagers who needed an education.

“Good morning everyone,” the new teacher said addressing the class. The school finally got a replacement for Mr. Tanner, he was from out of town and Bonnie hoped he’d survive the year because if he knew of the things that went bump in the night in this town then he would’ve stayed far away. “Alrighty,” he said and turned to write his name on the chalkboard. Elena takes the opportunity to mouth a quick ‘Are you okay?’ to Bonnie and she just shrugged, because she really didn’t know.

Bonnie stole a quick glance at Stefan and he gave her a weak smile which she couldn’t bring herself to return. She knew he was worried, even though he tried to hide it, she knew. “Alaric Saltzman” the teacher said drawing her attention again and she turned to the front “It’s a mouthful, I know. Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins. My family immigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You’ll probably want to pronounce it as ‘Alric’, but it’s ‘Alaric’, okay? So, you can call me Rick. I’m your new history teacher”.

“You should go back to Boston,” Bonnie said the words before she could stop herself and the whole class turned to her, but she wasn’t saying it to be rude or mean like they probably thought. She was being dead serious, she didn’t want him to end up dead like Mr. Tanner so he had to leave while he still had the chance.

“I’m sorry Miss?”

“Bennett”

“Miss Bennett,” he said, the name sounding familiar to him for some reason “But I’m fine where I am,” he said as the bell went off “Alright I’ll see you all tomorrow,” he said getting distracted by the students getting out of their seats. When he looked at where the girl was sitting she was already gone, she must’ve run out as soon as the bell rang. Her name was Bennett, where did he know that name from?

Elena quickly intercepted Stefan before he could rush out of class like Bonnie did “Hey, Stefan” she greeted. “Hey, what’s up, Elena? Look I’d really like to talk, but I gotta g-”.

“Is Bonnie okay?” she asked, cutting him off. She knew he was in a rush to get to Bonnie, but she really wanted to know what was going on. “I mean I haven’t heard from her since last night and she didn’t look so good in class, and what she said to Mr. Saltzman-”.

“Someone had to say it” It was his turn to cut her off “You know as well as I do how dangerous it is here right now, especially after what happened with Ben. Who knows how many more vampires there are that we don’t know about” he said a little harsh, but he was under stress right now and he didn’t have the time to talk to her right now.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. Will you tell me what’s going on with Bonnie?” she asked calmly.

“I can’t really talk about it with you, Elena”.

“Of course, again with the secrets,” She said quietly, fiddling with her hands and Stefan sighed running his hands through his hair “Look, Elena, no one’s trying to exclude you or anything I just mean that it’s not my place. You should talk to her yourself” he said as she looked up and nodded at him, he returned the nod before walking away from her.

Bonnie was standing in the parking lot trying to get her car to open when she felt like she was being watched and that made her anxious. Since the events of last night, she’s been hyper-aware of everything so she tried to get it open faster only to drop her keys. She took a deep calming breath because clearly, she was being paranoid because she couldn’t see anyone around, other than a few students she could see having lunch. She bent down to pick them up when “Hey BonBon”. She straightened immediately and almost jumped out of her skin “Someone’s jumpy” Damon said as she turned around to face him once she calmed down.

“Stefan’s still inside, Damon, so leave me alone,” she said in a bored tone of voice and turned around to open her car. “Actually, I’m here to see you,” he said with a bright smile, which only served to annoy her further.

“Yeah, well I don’t want to see you so leave me alone”. She tried to get into the car once she got it open, but he closed the door before she could, making her jump back before she turned her anger on him “Get out of my way, Damon!” She yelled at him.

“I’m here to help you, okay! Let me!” he yelled right back, getting just as frustrated with her. “Oh please, you don’t help anyone other than yourself, you said it yourself”.

“Damn it, Bonnie, let me help you!” he snapped, this girl was so freakin stubborn she made him want to pull his hair out.

“Is there a problem here?” Stefan said when he got to them. He heard them yelling at each other from the entrance of the school and he didn’t even have to enhance his hearing because they were so loud, but he did have to use his super-speed to get there before they ripped each other’s heads off.

Bonnie crossed her arms over her chest to seem more intimidating, but her height wasn’t doing her any favors “Fine” she ground out “I’ll bite. What do you want?” she asked as if Stefan hadn’t said anything.

“A little birdie told me you’ve been seeing ghosts,” he said with a smirk and watched her whip her head around to look at the guy standing between them, giving him a betrayed look. “I thought he could help, Bonnie, we’re going to need it,” He said justifying what he did.

“Why would I want anything from him, he killed Uncle Zach I want nothing to do with him and for you to tell him without asking is-” She cut herself off, trying to calm down “I can’t deal with this right now” she said reaching for the door handle again, but Stefan stopped her before she could open the door “Bonnie wait, I’m sorry I told Damon, but we need him. We don’t know what we’re up against and I am absolutely terrified of losing you because I let my pride get in the way” he said looking at her intently, which made Damon feel awkward just standing there. “So please, if you won’t let Damon help us kill Niklaus and save your life, along with everyone we love, then do it for me, please”.

Damon watched the couple in front of him in awe, wondering how he could have missed it. He knew that Stefan had a thing for the witch, he even pointed it out, but he thought it was just an attraction that would fade away and that ultimately it would be Elena for him in the end. She did look like the woman they loved after all, but then again he wasn’t sure if what Stefan felt for Katherine was ever love because he never looked at her the way he was looking at the witch, like she was his whole world and if anything happened to her that world would shatter.

“Get in the car,” Bonnie said after a while, in such a low voice that if they weren’t vampires they would’ve missed it and it took Damon even longer to realize that she was talking to him. He got into the car with Stefan while she sent a quick text to her Grams that said she’d be having her lessons in the woods today before she got in the car and drove off.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High Cafeteria**

Elena walked into the school Cafeteria and saw Caroline sitting at their usual table waiting for her “So, how’d it go?” Caroline asked once she sat down across from her and Elena shook her head “He told me I had to talk to her myself, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that when she won’t even talk to me”.

“I think she’s still freaked out,” Caroline said looking at her unappetizing tray of food, how they expected them to eat this, she had no idea “I hope she’ll be okay. Did you see her?”

“I think they left”.

“Left? It’s only lunch time. Well, are they coming back?”

“I don’t know, Caroline” She said, sounding down and Caroline looked up at her “Hey, are you okay?” she asked concerned and Elena nodded absently “You know, I saw you last night” Caroline said quietly making Elena look up at her questioningly “When Bonnie first woke up and didn’t remember what happened to her, I saw the way Stefan was looking at her and I saw the look on your face. You were heartbroken” Caroline said gently, reaching for her hand. Elena shook her head frantically as she looked at her friend with glassy eyes “I should’ve never broken up with him, Caroline, and now it’s too late because he’s in love with Bonnie”. And he was, anyone with eyes could see it and as much as Bonnie tried to hide it, Caroline saw that she felt the same way when she first woke up last night.

This whole thing was a mess because you had Stefan who was in love with Bonnie, Bonnie who loved him back, but refused to act on it or acknowledge it because she wanted to protect Elena’s feelings and then there was Elena who broke up with Stefan after finding out he was a vampire and now wants him back after realizing that he was a good vampire. It hurt Caroline’s head just thinking about it and she didn’t want to get in the middle of it because both these girls were her friends.

“I’m sorry, Lena”.

“No it’s okay, I’m fine,” Elena said waving a dismissive hand, “Let’s go before we’re late for class”.

_Ayanna Bennett was known as the healer and prophet of her village due to her frequent communion with the Spirits and her insight into the metaphysical and spiritual realms of the universe._

That’s where he recognized the name from Alaric thought as he read through his old notes on the town and wondered if they were related if they were it was possible that she may have inherited her ancestor’s gifts. He’s been doing research on this town since he finished his masters’ degree ten years ago when he first heard stories about vampires that used to roam around here. Most historians never really believed what they were studying, but he did and was fascinated by the supernatural world, it’s part of the reason why he moved here.

“Hey, Mr. Saltzman” One of his students called his name, getting his attention as he stood by the door. Alaric waved him in, “I’m Jeremy Gilbert. You wanted to see me?” The young man said as he approached his desk.

Alaric put away his notes before giving the kid his full attention “You know that your old teacher had a jackass file? No joke” he said retrieving the file from his drawer and holding it up for him to see “It’s typed on a label. It has all the troublemakers in it” he said and Jeremy gave him an alarmed look “Don’t worry about it” he said throwing the file in the trashcan “I’m not him. Clean slate. Now…let’s talk about grades”.

“I know it’s been a rough couple of months, but I’ve been trying to turn them around”.

“Yeah, I saw that. But, the problem is, we’re halfway through a semester and half a fail is still pretty bleak” He said and went quiet, giving him an opportunity to respond, but the kid stays quiet as well “This is the part where you say to me, ‘But what can I do to change that?’, I’m glad you asked! How do you feel about extra credit?” he asked and Jeremy enthusiastically shook his head in agreement “Yeah, yeah, totally! Whatever”.

“Good! Write me a paper, then”.

“Okay. About what?”

“History. Pick a topic, keep it local, and no Wikipedia-regurgitate. These old towns have a rich history, so just get your hands dirty, make it sing and you’re back on track. Deal?” he asked and Jeremy smiled, grateful “Yeah. Deal”. Jeremy noticed the ring on Alaric’s finger “That’s a cool ring” he said pointing at it and Alaric awkwardly fiddled with it, feeling a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden “Oh, thanks. It was my father’s. A little garish, but family, you know?” he said before giving him the deadline “You’ve got a week”.

* * *

 

**Woods**

“As much as I love the woods, what are we doing here?” Damon asked as they got out of the car only to be ignored by Bonnie, but he was quick to figure it out though when he saw Sheila standing at a distance waiting for them.

“Damon Salvatore” Sheila said as they got closer “I can’t say it’s a pleasure to see you again, especially after you killed the only father figure my grandbaby has ever known”.

“You knew?” Bonnie interjected into their conversation in shock and Sheila scoffed at the fact that she thought she didn’t. “Of course I knew, my job is to look out for you and that’s exactly what I’ve done. I didn’t want to discourage you in doing what you had to do to cope so I didn’t say anything, and I’m so sorry you lost him baby” She said and Bonnie refused to start crying again so she changed the subject.

“What are we doing today, Grams?”

“There’s something you all need to know,” she said solemnly and Bonnie sucked in a breath feeling anxious until she felt someone grab her hand and looked up to see Stefan standing next to her and smiling at her in silent support.

“Your great great great grandmother, Emily was chosen by Ayanna to foretell of a time when the hybrid would break the curse placed on him and create an army that would help make him the most powerful supernatural to ever walk the Earth” She said, “Ayanna told her of the spell she created to pass down her magic to someone in our family that would be strong enough to handle it. I thought it was your mama, Bonnie”.

She furrowed her brows at that “What do you mean, grams?”

“Everyone in our family knew about the prophecy, I found out from my mama and when Abby got her magic she was powerful, Bonnie and I thought she was the one. I wasn’t the only one”.

_“This is a dangerous life we’re living and we both know that the witch never gets a happy ending. Promise me you’ll protect my daughter”._

“Abby knew,” Stefan said absentmindedly snapping out of the memory “Why didn’t you ever tell me, Sheila?”

“You weren’t supposed to know”.

“No, you should’ve told me. I’m the protector, I could’ve saved her” Stefan snapped and Bonnie squeezed his hand, calming him down. “Grams, who killed my mom?” she asked as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

“Your mama sacrificed herself, Bonnie. I think-”

“What grams?”

“When you were three years old there was an incident, your mama refused to tell me what it was, and then months later, before she died, she told me to call Stefan, and to keep a low profile. I got the sense that she didn’t want anyone to know about you and when I went to get you, I could sense the magic on you and I thought Abby had cast a spell on you, but I was wrong, it was something else”.

“What was it?” Damon was the one to ask, completely engrossed in the story.

“It was your magic, Bonnie. Most witches get their magic when they are in their teen years, you got yours at three years old. Then your mother died and suddenly I couldn’t sense your magic anymore. I didn’t think much of it because when a witch dies the spell they cast breaks, so I didn’t pay it no mind and you never showed any signs of being a witch again. Until Stefan came back” When Sheila was done Bonnie just stood there not knowing what to say while the Salvatore brothers both took in what Sheila just said until Stefan remembered something.

“Ayanna told me that Bonnie and I were connected, that I was more than just the protector of the Bennett line”.

“You and Bonnie share the same spirit, you’re different, but beneath it all, you have a purity only you two share, which connects you to each other. The three of you need each other to survive”.

“Three?”

“You and Stefan are brothers, you are connected by blood and a bond only brothers share” Sheila said  before turning to her granddaughter again “Your fear is holding you back” Sheila said walking closer to her baby “The sooner you let go of that fear, the sooner you’ll be able to control your magic”.

“But it’s not my magic, grams-”

“Yes it is, it chose you so it’s yours and you need to choose it right back”. Sheila walked to her car and got the grimoire before coming back to give it to Bonnie. The girl in question eyed it warily, not sure she was ready to try using her magic again “Don’t be afraid” Grams whispered and Bonnie nodded, finally taking it from her hands. “I’ll see you at home, Baby,” She said before leaving them alone.

Bonnie watched her grams drive away before turning to the Salvatore brothers “Okay, let’s get to work”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone.


	20. Turning Point

**Gilbert Household**

_**General POV** _

Jenna walks into Elena's room to find her in tears “Elena?” she calls out to her as she walks further into the room and the girl in question wipes away her tears as she looks at her aunt “I'm okay” she whispers, but Jenna shakes her head, not believing her “No you're not. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, either way, I'm getting it out of you” she said as she sat down next to Elena on the bed, “Is this about Stefan?” she asked cautiously, realizing that this was a sensitive subject for her niece. Jenna knew that she broke up with him, but Elena never told her why and she didn't push her even though she wanted to because Elena really liked Stefan and judging by the state she was in right now she still did.

Elena spent the rest of her day trying to keep herself together after her conversation with Caroline, but the moment she got home she hid in her room and dropped her walls. That must’ve been hours ago judging by the fact that Aunt Jenna was back from work.

“I can't really talk to you about this Jenna” she sniffled and Jenna sighed in understanding “Then tell me what you can”.

“I broke up with Stefan because I thought he was dangerous and couldn't be trusted when I should've just trusted him or let the fact that Bonnie trusted him to be enough, but I didn't and now it's too late”.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Besides, he was never mine, to begin with, so I really shouldn't be crying over losing him anyway”.

“What are you talking about Elena?”

“Stefan's in love with Bonnie. He belongs to her”

“You don't know th-“

“Yes I do,” she said cutting her off “You should see the way he looks at her Aunt Jenna like she's the only woman he sees like he doesn't see me. And I know she feels the same way too, she just hides it better”.

“You'll never know for sure until you voice what you want,” Aunt Jenna said before getting up and leaving her alone. Elena sat there thinking about what her Aunt said, she could stay here and wallow in her own misery or she could take a risk and try to get Stefan back, Bonnie cared about her too much to make a move with Stefan so she had a chance and she’d use it.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

Damon and I got to the house and went to the living room, after the day we’ve had we needed it. Bonnie finally had the courage to use her magic again without letting the fear hold her back and even though she was still having trouble with control it seemed like she had more of a handle on it. I’ve seen a lot of witches perform magic over the years, but none of them were as beautiful as Bonnie was, she looked so content out there like she was in her own world where nothing bad could ever get to her.

I could tell that she was exhausted afterward so I offered to drive us all home with the promise that I’d pick her up in the morning seeing as her car was in the driveway and mine and Damon’s were still at school. And speaking of Damon, he actually behaved himself and kept his snide comments to a minimum, which I was grateful for. Right now he was pouring us a drink before handing me one “Thanks” I said and he nodded in acknowledgment “Not just for this, but for today”.

“Don’t mention it” he said taking a sip of his drink just as we heard a knock on the door. We looked at each other for a moment before the person let themselves in and judging by the scent it was-

“Hey,” Elena said by the doorway of our living room and I got up to greet her “Hey Elena, um what can I do for you?” I asked cautiously, and she walked further into the room eyeing Damon warily as she stepped closer to me. “Um, Can I talk to you?” she asked looking up at me before she stole a glance at Damon, who was looking at us as he drank his bourbon while he seemed quite interested in our conversation. “In private” she added.

Damon got up then and walked towards us, drink in hand “I’ll be in my room” he told me before turning to Elena with a smirk on his face “Elena, always a pleasure” he said before leaving the room and heading up the stairs. Once he was gone she seemed to relax a bit more and sat on the couch, indicating for me to sit next to her, which I did and I watched her take a deep breath while she fiddled with her hands, was she nervous?

“How’s Bonnie?” she asked looking at me, and I could tell she was stalling whatever it was she wanted to tell me because if she just came here to ask how Bonnie was then Damon wouldn’t have had to leave the room and really she wouldn’t be here at all, but I kept all this to myself “She’s okay, she’s better”.

“That’s good, I’m glad,” she said with a nod as if she was trying to convince herself of something. “I’m sorry, I’m a little nervous,” she said with a nervous chuckle while I sat there and waited for her to say what was on her mind. “Look, Stefan, I don’t know how to say this so I’ll just say it,” she said looking at me again.

“Part of me wishes that I could forget…forget ever meeting you, finding out what you are and everything that’s happened since” she said softly before she took my hand in hers and continued “But I can’t, with everything that’s happened I can’t because as scared as I am of this life, I don’t regret meeting you and falling for you, Stefan. My only regret is letting you go and not trusting you” she said as her eyes filled with tears. “Elena…”

“Please, let me finish” she pleaded and I nodded because she deserved to speak her mind. She was a great girl and she deserved someone who would appreciate her and love her with everything in him, but I wasn’t that guy.

_“And no matter which way you twist it someone will get hurt, you just have to decide who means more to you”._

I remembered what Sheila told me a couple weeks ago and as I thought about it some more I realized that what she said wasn’t completely true, no one person would be hurt by this twisted triangle we’ve found ourselves in, all of us would get hurt and all of us would be miserable because neither of us would get who we wanted. I had to admit though I admired Elena for having the courage to voice what she wanted even though she knew the odds were against her.

It would be so much easier if I wasn’t in love with someone else, but life didn’t work that way.

“I know I’m crazy for telling you all this because we both know you don’t feel the same way about me, but I guess I was hoping that by some miracle you’d be willing to give us another chance” She finished and I sighed as I looked down at her, already hating myself for what I was about to say “I’m sorry, Elena. I wish that I felt the same way you do, I wish that I could tell you what you wanted to hear-”.

“But you can’t,” she said letting go of my hand “But I can’t,” I said as a tear escaped her eyes and she quickly wiped it away.

“Because you’re in love with someone else,” she said, and I nodded. She drew me into a hug “I’ll always be here for you, Stefan and I hope you get her”.

“I hope so too,” I said releasing her, “And if it doesn’t work out you know where to find me,” she said as she got up to leave. What she said made me uneasy and I could see the hint of a smile on her lips as she left, but I didn’t have much time to dwell on it because Damon walked back in.

“Well, that was awkward to listen to,” He said as he poured himself more bourbon and I rolled my eyes at him “Well you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping in the first place”.

“As if I wasn’t gonna listen” he mumbled, “But you gotta admire how she’s just willing to break her friend’s heart just to be with you”.

“You think that’s what she’s doing?” I asked, interested in his theory and he nodded “Oh yeah, I mean the little witch’s willing to be miserable just to protect her feelings and here she is telling you she wants you back, knowing how you and BonBon feel about each other, which you two are very bad at hiding by the way” he said downing his drink.

“I think you’re right,” I said thoughtfully and Damon rolled his eyes “Of course I’m right Stefan, it’s something Katherine would do”.

“Elena’s not Katherine, Damon,” I said, I mean what she was doing was underhanded, but that didn’t mean she was Katherine.

“If you say so, little brother”.

* * *

 

**Grams’ Residence**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I was up in my room doing some homework while Grams was in the kitchen making us dinner. I figured since I skipped out on school today it was the least I could do, and Caroline was a saint for bringing me the homework due tomorrow. I was busy doing maths when I heard a knock on the front door and quickly ran downstairs to go get it. “I got it grams!” I called to her from the hallway so she wouldn’t have to come check.

I opened the door to see ‘Oh crap’. “Mr. Saltzman, um hi,” I said awkwardly as my new history teacher stood on the other side of the door with a warm smile on his face “Hello, Miss Bennett”.

“Please call me Bonnie,” I said awkwardly as I wondered why my teacher was at my house, maybe he’s here to talk to my grams and tell her about how rude I was to him this morning. “Listen, Mr. Saltzman, I’m really sorry for this morning I didn’t mean to be rude” I rambled nervously “So there’s really no need for you to talk to my grams since I just apologized, right?” I said only to have him chuckle in amusement “It’s okay, Bonnie and that’s not why I’m here. I’m actually here to talk to you” he said and I furrowed my brow in confusion, I literally just met the man a few hours ago so what could he possibly have to talk about with me “Oh um, my grams is making dinner” I said pointing to the general direction of the kitchen “Would you like to join us?” He agreed and I invited him inside so we could talk in the living room when my grams came in “Bonnie, who was at the door?”

“Hello Mrs. Bennett, I’m Alaric Saltzman, Bonnie’s new history teacher” He said extending his hand for her to shake and she accepted it with a smile “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Saltzman, that’s a lovely ring you have there” she said and I looked at the hand with the ring, noticing it for the first time. It looked almost like the one Stefan had, but I knew it wasn’t the same.

“So what can we do for you?” Grams asked as we all sat down on the couch. “I actually wanted to speak to your granddaughter about Ayanna Bennett”.


	21. The Anchor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long Chapter, but I hope you enjoy.

**Alaric’s Apartment**

**_General POV_ **

_I found her, the Bennett witch that is supposed to save the world. I didn’t expect her to be so young, but my father always said that destiny doesn’t look at your age. I was right to come here, Mystic falls is a beacon for the supernatural, good and evil alike, and it won’t be long until Klaus comes as well and we all need to be prepared for when he does._

Alaric stopped typing and looked at a picture of him and his father from when he was a kid. He’s the one that got him into this business and got him the ring that protected him from death, even though his father couldn’t do the same for himself.

_“Why do you have to go?” the little boy asked his father as he clung to him for dear life. The older man pulled him away from his body so he could look at his son “You know why, Alaric. Remember I told you about the kind of work I do?” he asked and the boy nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes. His dad gave him a weak smile and Alaric watched him take out a ring from his pocket “This is for you” his father said showing him the ring “A good friend of mine gave it to me, it will protect you” he said as he placed it on his son’s finger “But, you must never take it off. Promise me, Alaric”._

_“I promise” the boy whispered admiring it, it looked really old. “Stay safe, dad”._

_“I always do” the man said kissing his son’s forehead before leaving him alone._

Alaric never saw his dad again, he was twelve years old at the time. It took him a long time to accept the fact that his father was never coming back, but he kept his promise, he never took off the ring. It’s the reason he was still alive today and it was the reason he started searching for the Bennett witches, he found out that a Joanna Bennett had spelled the ring back when he was obsessed with his father’s disappearance.

The fact that Sheila Bennett commented on it told him that she knew about it, and that’s probably why she trusted him.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High**

“What was he doing at your house?” Stefan asked as Bonnie opened her locker and got out her books. “In a nutshell, he came to tell us about research he’s done on the supernatural world, my family in particular”.

“Wait, so he knows about vampires too?” he asked and she nodded “He wasn’t very big on the details, but I think he wants to help. He knew about Niklaus, Stefan and whatever else he knows could help us moving forward” she said as she closed her locker and they started walking to class.

“We’ll talk to him, but we need to be cautious about this, yeah?”

“Yeah, you’re right” she said as Caroline approached them with a big smile on her face, which meant she wanted something “Five bucks says she wants something”, she stopped in her tracks and they watched Caroline forge her way through the crowd of students trying to get to them “How can you possibly tell?”

“Salvatore, please” she scoffed as she turned to him and he shrugged “You’re on, Bunny” he said with a smile just as the blonde got to them “Hey Care”.

“Hey guys, how are you doing?”

“We’re fine, what do you need?”

“I need you to help me to pick out an outfit for the masquerade ball” she said in one breath. Oh crap, she completely forgot about that, but tried to hide it so Caroline wouldn’t bite her head off.

“Um, sure. Elena’s coming too right?” she asked, she actually wouldn’t mind the distraction for one night, and if she was being honest she should probably get a dress for herself as well. Caroline squealed and hugged her before she ran off, disappearing in the sea of students.

“You forgot about the ball, didn’t you?” Stefan said from beside her. “Yeah totally, but you still owe me five bucks, Salvatore”.

“I’ll buy you lunch, come on let’s go”.

Later that day, Alaric was in his classroom reading through some notes he wanted to show Bonnie when Jeremy saw him as he was walking past his class and decided to walk in “Hey, Mr. Saltzman”.

“Hey, Jeremy. I, uh…was just preparing for tomorrow’s class. How’s the extra credit coming? You pick a topic yet?”

“Mystic Falls, the civil war era” he said enthusiastically, Jeremy never really thought he liked history but now the more research he did the more he found a lot of interesting things. “That sounds good” he said as he noticed Bonnie and Stefan standing awkwardly by the doorway “Sorry to interrupt” Stefan spoke up, making Jeremy turn to look at them.

“Oh no worries, I just came in to say hi” Jeremy said waving them in as he started walking towards the door “I better be heading to the library. I’ll see you guys later, bye Mr. Saltzman” he said leaving them alone.

“Hey guys, I’m actually glad you dropped by I wanted to sh-”

“Are you really a teacher?” Stefan asked cutting him off. “Yes. I’m also a historian, and while researching Virginia, I made a few discoveries about your town”.

“So you show up like Van Helsing. Come on tell the truth” Stefan said not really believing his story. Alaric sighed before he gave them a brief background on who he is “My father was a parapsychologist. He spent his life researching paranormal activity in this area, that’s how he met your family. And it’s his work that led me here”.

“Where is he now?” Bonnie asked, curious. If his father knew her family then maybe he could help her find them so it wouldn’t be just her and grams.

“He disappeared when I was twelve” he said a little sad and Bonnie’s heart sank, not only for herself, but also because she knew what it was like to lose a parent at a young age and the gap it leaves in your heart that only they can fill. “When I started researching about your family I found something interesting, something you may want to have”.

“What is it?”

“Ayanna’s grimoire” he said and Bonnie stood there in shock, how was that even possible? Wasn’t it destroyed after they killed her? “When my father first disappeared I was obsessed with finding him so I’d go through his work looking for any clue of where he might be and I found this old journal that spoke about her grimoire being hidden somewhere, but it never says where.” he said before pulling out the journal from his bag and handing it to her.

Bonnie felt the magic coming from the book before she even touched it and when she did, the magic felt familiar, like it was part of her. “Did your father know anyone from my family, Mr. Saltzman?” she asked as she started paging through the book. “I think he knew a Joanna Bennett. She made my ring, but I was never able to find her. I’m sorry, Bonnie” he said and she gave him a small smile, letting him know she was fine. It wasn’t his responsibility to find her family. She focused on the book again, wondering if this Joanna Bennett was the one who spelled this book as well. “It says here that wherever it is, it’s spelled so no one could ever find it, how am I supposed to get it?”

“You and Ayanna share the same magic, I’m sure we can figure it out” Stefan said with an encouraging smile and she nodded, believing him.

“How are we going to find it?” Alaric asked. “I’m going to use my magic to find it. If Ayanna did in fact hide it then I can do a locator spell to find it”.

“When?”

“Tonight, midnight” Alaric suggested and they agreed. They were about to leave when Stefan thought of something “How did you know about me? About what I was?” He asked the history teacher before they left as he remembered what Bonnie told him about the history teacher’s home visit. Alaric looked up at him and told him what he knew “Emily Bennett wrote somewhere that she had found the anchor and it mentioned your name, so I did some digging and you’re the only Stefan Salvatore that’s lived in this town for the past 162 years”.

“What’s an anchor?” Bonnie asked confused and Alaric shook his head “If no one has told you it means the two of you need to figure that out for yourselves”. The two best friends looked at him for a moment, but when he didn’t say anything else they figured he really wasn’t going to tell them so Bonnie just sighed and pulled on Stefan’s arm “Come on, let’s go before Caroline sends out a search party for me. We’ll see you later, Mr. Saltzman”.

__

* * *

 

**Forbes Residence**

Caroline and Elena were sitting in Caroline’s room going through some of her clothes while they waited for Bonnie to get there. The moment the witch walked through the door Caroline met her by the hallway “You’re late” she said when she was close enough to feel the full extent of her wrath.

“I know, but I have a good excuse” Bonnie said quickly “Stefan and I were talking to Mr. Saltzman” she said as they walked into her room.

“Hey, Bon” Elena said with a bright smile as she hugged her friend “I feel like I haven’t seen you at all today”.

“I’m sorry, Lena. There’s been a lot of stuff going on, which is what I wanted to talk to you guys about” she said and went into depth about what’s been going on in the past few days.

“Wow, that’s a lot” Caroline said once she was done and Bonnie sighed “Yeah, tell me about it”.

“Well we’re coming with you” Elena said determined and Caroline nodded in agreement, but Bonnie shook her head “Guys, you don’t have to. The only reason I told you is because I wanted you guys to know what was going on”.

“Bonnie, you’re our best friend and there’s no way we’re letting you do this with some stupid boys, you got that?” Caroline snapped making the two girls laugh a little “Yeah Caroline, I think she got it” Elena said once they all stopped laughing and Bonnie looked at them seriously “You guys are the best” she said and they shared a group hug.

“Okay, let’s get this fashion show started” Caroline said excited as they went through Caroline’s closet.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Damon was standing in the parlor room looking out the window when he heard a knock on the door and went to open it “Sheriff. What a surprise”.

“Sorry to bother you, but we need to talk”.

“Come in” he said and she entered the house. He shut the door behind her and led her into the back courtyard “So, what do you need?”

The Sheriff turned to him with a sigh before she got into the reason why she was here “There been another attack” she said cutting to the chase and Damon’s face turned to shock, wondering if he heard her right “A female victim, her throat torn out, completely drained of blood. It fits the pattern”.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand” Damon said trying to reconcile what he just heard, that couldn’t be right. Him and Stefan were the only vampires in mystic falls other than Ben, and he killed him so what the hell was going on. It couldn’t be Klaus right, Damon felt like a big bad like that would make himself known. No it had to be someone else. “I thought we solved that problem when I staked the bartender” he said addressing her again.

“I’m thinking he must’ve turned someone. Or multiple someones, I don’t know” she said, it was a possibility, but why would he have wanted to draw attention to himself like that after he said he was running from someone.

“The story for the town is another animal attack, but I’m not sure how long we can keep lying to them. The council is in an uproar” she said frustrated and Damon could feel his own frustration levels rising “So, uh, what do we do?”

“You’re the only one who’s ever taken on a vampire. We were hoping you could tell us”

Stefan got home a few hours later to find Damon waiting for him by the door with a look on his face that Stefan couldn’t decipher “What’s wrong?” he asked as he closed the door behind him.

“We have a problem” Damon said “The sheriff came by, there was another animal attack” he added as he walked into the parlor and poured himself a drink and to be honest Stefan needed one himself.

“Where are all these vampires coming from?” Stefan asked as he ran a hand through his hair. “We’re going to have to deal with our new vampire problem tomorrow”.

“Why tomorrow?”

“We’re going to go look for Ayanna’s grimoire tonight”.

Damon rolled his eyes at him “We don’t all have to go on this little treasure hunt you know? You can go with your girlfriend and I can handle the vampire problem”.

“We don’t know how many there are, Damon, you can’t go by yourself” Stefan said in frustration. “Then what do you suggest, baby bro?” Damon asked and Stefan sighed before pulling out his phone and pressing his speed dial.

“Hey, we’ve got a problem”.

* * *

 

**Forbes Residence**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

Okay so, us helping Caroline pick out an outfit for tomorrow’s masquerade ball may have gotten out of hand. We’d decided to have a fashion show where we put on all of Caroline’s clothes, did each other’s makeup and took so many pictures that 90% of my Instagram timeline was now filled with pictures from today alone. We were currently splayed out on Caroline’s bed, with her clothes everywhere, and laughing for no reason when my phone started ringing “Wait, my phone is ringing” I said sitting up and looked for my phone “Where is it?”

“Next to the bed” Elena said pointing in its general direction as she tried to get a grip and I reached for it and smiled when I saw who it was before answering it “Hey, Salvatore” I said fondly.

_“Hey, we’ve got a problem”_ he said and my smile faded as I plopped back onto the bed, of course we did “We’re on our way” I said and hung up before he could respond.

“What’s wrong?” Caroline asked concerned and I shrugged because really, what else was new “I don’t know, but fun’s over girls. Let’s go” I said before sending a quick text to Mr. Saltzman, if there was a problem maybe he could help.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_General POV_ **

Alaric stood outside the boarding house with a duffle bag in hand as he waited for someone to open the door. He was halfway through grading papers when he got a text from Bonnie about there being a problem and that they all had to meet at the boarding house. He didn’t waste any time so he left the classroom to get to his car and opened the trunk of the car to make sure that the duffle bag he kept there was still inside before getting into the car and speeding off towards the boarding house.

The door opened to reveal a man he’s only seen a glimpse of at the grill “Um, hi. Is this the Salvatore Boarding house?” he asked not so sure anymore, he’s never actually been there and seeing a man he didn’t know threw him off.

“Yes, who are you?” Damon asked suspiciously. “Alaric Saltzman, I’m Stefan’s history teacher”.

“Damon who’s at the door?” Stefan’s voice called out before he came to the door “Alaric, what are you doing here?”

“Bonnie texted me, she said there was a problem and to meet her here” he said and Stefan nodded as he ushered him inside. “That’s my brother Damon” he said introducing the two men as they all walked into the parlor and Alaric set his bag down on the floor.

“Nice to meet you” Alaric said extending his hand for Damon to shake “Yeah” Damon said with a nod.

Not a minute later they heard the front door open again as the girls walked in “Took you long enough to get here” Damon said, making the girls stare daggers at him before ignoring him completely. “Thanks for coming” Bonnie told Mr. Saltzman and he just nodded, giving her a warm smile.

“So what was so important that you guys had to ruin our fun?” Caroline asked looking at Stefan, she still felt uneasy about being around Damon and figured if she’d be around him often then it was better to just not interact with him.

Damon was the one to answer though, telling them what Sheriff Forbes said. “Where are all these vampires coming from?” Elena asked looking at Stefan “We don’t know and that’s not the priority now, we have to stop them from killing anymore people” he responded.

“What do you suggest?” Bonnie asked. She couldn’t help but think about how this was her life now, just a few weeks ago her biggest problem was whether or not to forgive Stefan, and now she’s in a room with two vampires, her two best friends and a history teacher who’s deal she wasn’t quite sure of yet, trying to figure out how to kill evil vampires who thought their town was a buffet.

“Well I wanted to go after them tonight, but Saint Stefan here said that you were looking for Ayanna’s grimoire tonight and apparently I can’t go by myself because we don’t know how many there are”.

“He’s right you can’t go by yourself” Alaric said before placing his duffle bag onto the coffee table and opening it “But maybe I could help”.

“Are those weapons to kill vampires?!” Caroline asked, frantic as she walked closer to get a better look at the contents of the bag, the others doing the same “When you’re born into a family that deals with this kind of stuff, you learn a thing or two” he said without elaborating. Damon reached into the bag, taking out a gun with wooden bullets “You killed a lot of vampires in your day?” he asked the history teacher.

“I’ve gone up against a few, and I can handle myself”.

“Stefan should still go with you” Bonnie said and Stefan looked at her like she was crazy. “No Bonnie, I-”.

“I’ll go with Elena and Caroline to find Ayanna’s grimoire, you can’t let them go fight off vampires by themselves” she said in a stern voice that left no room for argument. Stefan grabbed her hand, speeding her out the room and took her up to his room and closed the door. “You gotta give me a warning next time before you do that” she said sitting on his bed. “Now what is it?”

“I’m not comfortable with letting you go off to who knows where, by yourself” he said walking closer until he was towering over her.

“I won’t be by myself”.

“Caroline and Elena are human, Bonnie. What if something happens?” he asked, worried and she sighed when she saw the concerned look on his face and got up off the bed, but he didn’t step back so they were really close together, even though they weren’t touching. “Stefan, we’re going to look for a spell book” she said as if that was explanation enough. “I’m more worried about you, we don’t know where these vampires are coming from or how many there are and you guys are about to go face them without back-up”. He reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers and she immediately felt better as she looked at their entwined hands.

They were quiet for a few moments before Stefan voiced both their fears “Do you think Niklaus is sending them?” he asked softly, and she looked up at him with a fearful look on her face “I hope not”.

Stefan sighed deeply because he knew that as much as he wanted to go with her, he couldn’t let Damon and Alaric face these vampires alone. He let go of her hand and went to the drawer next to his bed to take out the box that was inside and brought it back to her “I got these from Zach before he died, he made them for you and Sheila, but seeing as you don’t need them because you’re witches I thought Caroline and Elena could use them” he said handing them to her.

Bonnie opened the box and saw the bracelet and neckless that were inside before looking up at him with a confused look on her face “They’re laced with vervain so they can’t be compelled” he said answering her unasked question and immediately saw the confusion clear from her eyes before she smiled at him in gratitude. Bonnie wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him and he pulled her closer, his arms wrapping securely around her waist and burying his face in her neck “Be careful” he whispered into her neck, making her squeeze tighter. When she pulled away Stefan couldn’t help, but stare at her face as he removed some hair from her face. Bonnie smiled gratefully before she saw his eyes move down to her lips, making her heart beat quicken. “R-right back at you, Salvatore” she said awkwardly, trying to get her heartbeat back to normal before things got out of hand again. “Thanks for these” she said pointing to the box in her hand before she walked out of the room. Stefan watched her leave and when the door closed he groaned, running his hands through his hair as he sat down on the bed. This was going to be harder than he thought it would be.

* * *

 

**Outside Mystic Falls**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

It was awkward, and I blamed Stefan.

We were driving to where the map said Ayanna’s grimoire was when I did the locator spell and none of us have said a word since we left the house. I knew things were weird when I first walked back into the parlor and saw the uncomfortable looks on 50% of the people in the room, Damon just looked at me like he just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar while Elena looked like she wanted to head out the nearest exit, so like I said, I blamed Stefan.

“Oh my gosh! Will you guys just talk already? The amount of tension in this car is killing me” Caroline said in exasperation, breaking the ice the only way Caroline Forbes could. I glared at her from the passenger seat and she glared right back, basically telling me to get on with it so I sighed and looked at Elena “I don’t know what Damon told you, but nothing happened Elena. He was just telling me to be careful” I lied, because even though nothing happened tonight I did kiss him the day before and I felt guilty about it because as much as I could pretend before, we were back in the real world now with my best friend looking at me with sad eyes.

“Damon didn’t say anything and he didn’t have to, Bonnie, because I have eyes. I can see the way he looks at you” she started, looking at me for the first time “And as much as you try to hide it, I see the way you look at him too so even though nothing happened tonight, something did happened” she finished, looking right at me and I couldn’t stand the look in her eyes, daring me to deny it, so I turned my head away feeling bad for what I did. “It’s okay, Bonnie” Elena spoke again after a few minutes of awkward silence “I mean, I’m not gonna lie it kinda hurts, but I broke up with Stefan and if you guys like each other than I can’t stop you from being with each other”.

“No, Elena. I…” I really didn’t know what I was going to say.

“I’m serious, Bonnie. You’ve spent your whole life making sure that Caroline and I were happy, and believe it or not, we want the same thing for you” she said touching my hand. I looked up at her and she tried to smile at me, not really succeeding and I knew this was ripping her up inside “I’ll be okay, Bonnie. Maybe not right away, but I will be”. I squeezed her hand then before taking off my seatbelt so I could give her a warm hug, which we both really needed.

I don’t know how Elena and I got to this point. How did we end up falling for the same guy? How did we get to a point where it was a strain to talk to each other about how we were feeling? I didn’t know the answer to either questions, but what I did know was that our relationship would never be the same again, and that scared me to death.

****

* * *

 

**Woods**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

We started in the woods, where the woman was attacked by the vampire or vampires, we weren’t sure yet. Everything seemed normal other than the lingering scent of death in the air and Alaric was trying to get the compass to work, the same one Logan used to track us down with.

As I looked at the trees around us I couldn’t help but think about kissing Bonnie. It was all I thought about really and about how much I wanted to do more than just kiss her, but she was probably mad at me for making things weird again.

When I’d finally gotten downstairs again the girls were already gone and Damon and Alaric were looking at me like I was an idiot, well Damon really just had a mischievous smirk on his face that let me know he’d been eavesdropping on us and if I knew then so did Bonnie, so I really didn’t blame her for running off without saying so.

“You guys need to leave, your presence is interfering with the compass” Alaric said snapping me out of my thoughts “Leave and I’ll call you when I get anything”.

He took my number and Damon and I left him alone. “You been a bad boy, Stefan” he said the moment we stopped running and I rolled my eyes at him. “What are you talking about, Damon?”

“I’m talking about you and the witch. You looked like you were ready to rip her clothes off the moment she walked through the door, and if the rest of us weren’t there I’m sure you would’ve done exactly that” Damon said with that stupid smirk again and I actually wanted to punch it off his face. I really hated him right now.

“Leave me alone, Damon”.

“I don’t think I will” he said waving a dismissive hand, as if I hadn’t said anything “Look, Stefan, I know something happened between you and the witch. Now if you want it to happen again, then you gotta take control because the longing looks are really starting to get old” He said and I just stood there trying to absorb what he just said, _did he just-_

“Are you...” I stopped before trying again “Are you actually giving me advice, right now?”

“Don’t get used to it, baby bro” he said and I rolled my eyes, of course he’d be Damon about it. My phone vibrated then, it was Alaric.

“I got something”.

* * *

 

**Outside Mystic Falls**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

“Is this the place?” Caroline asked as she stopped the car in front of a small cave. There was magic here, I could feel it calling out to me and I nodded as I got out of the car. The two of them got out as well and we all walked towards the cave. The closer we got the more my magic pulled me to what was inside that cave. “Bonnie” I heard Elena call my name and I turned around to see them standing at the entrance of the cave. _When did I walk in?_

“We can’t get in, something’s keeping us out”.

I walked over to them and I reached out my hand to them, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier. Whatever kept them out, was keeping me in.

I turned around, still being called inside the cave “I’ll be right back” I said walking backwards and further into the cave. “This is such a bad idea” I heard Caroline tell Elena before they were completely out of sight and I couldn’t agree with her more. Nothing screamed death wish more than walking into a creepy cave by yourself with your only way of escape sealed by an invisible barrier, then again this was my life now, so did that mean my life was just one giant death wish?

I couldn’t think about that right now so I just kept walking, letting my magic lead me to wherever I was supposed to go. I walked towards the wall of the cave, feeling like it shouldn’t be there and when I touched it, the wall disappeared and revealed Ayanna’s grimoire “Whoa, it’s actually here” I said, it was like the wall was actually a secret compartment. I reached for the book and the moment I touched it I saw a lot of images at once before settling on one memory.

_“Phasmatos Radium calaraa” I chanted and watched as my grimoire disappeared before my eyes and was replaced by the wall of the cave, it would be safe here until she found it. I didn’t have much time left, Mikael would find me soon and I couldn’t let him find me here._

_I’d been dreading this day since Henrik died. There was a battle coming, one that would result in the death of a lot of innocent people and one I couldn’t stop by myself so I did the only thing I could think of in order to ensure the survival of the innocent. I just hope the time we have to fight won’t be for a long time to come and I pray we are prepared for it. “Ayanna!”_

_I turned around at the sound of his voice and caught a glimpse of his face before I was in his arms, with him holding me close “You shouldn’t be here, Mikael is coming” I whispered against his chest and he released me. I looked into his eyes, seeing the love there and I couldn’t help but give him one last kiss. He was so pure, so human and he had no business being involved in any of this._

_“I’ll go wherever you go” he said as we pulled apart “You are my heart”._

_I placed my hand on his cheek and began to trace the contours of his face, storing it to memory. He was my heart as well and as long as my magic was still a part of the earth, it would find someone as pure as he is to help my successor in the battle to come._

_“We need to go” I said once I released his face and grabbed a hold of his hand, pulling him towards the exit._

I pulled my hand away from the book as if it burnt me, what was that?

“I still remember that day” a voice said from behind me and I recognized it instantly. I turned around and came face to face with Ayanna, “I thought you were stuck in that house”.

“No, I just wanted to show you where it all began, where it has to end” She said “I’m connected to you, Bonnie. Where you are, I am”.

“Because of your magic” I said thinking about every conversation we’ve ever had. “It’s not my magic, it’s our magic. The sooner you accept that, the stronger you’ll become”

“I’ve improved, but I’m still scared I won’t be able to control it” I said, letting her know my fears even though I’m sure she already knew that. She smiled fondly at me before walking closer “Then find a reason not to lose control, something that will keep you from losing control”.

“Did you?” I asked her, but instead of answering me she just smiled and I really hated when she did that “I’m surprised your protector isn’t here with you” She said instead, changing the subject and I sighed because clearly she wasn’t going to tell me anything.

“I made him stay behind” I said and she chuckled softly “I imagine he wasn’t too happy about that”.

I was about to answer when I felt a sharp pain in my chest before Stefan came to mind. He was on the floor with his eyes open, but I could tell there was no life in them. I dropped to my knees as the weight of what I just saw hit me and I couldn’t breathe. I was vaguely aware of Ayanna kneeling before me with her hands on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. When I finally calmed down enough to breathe properly I could see the awe in her eyes. Why was she looking at me like that?

“You’re the strongest, Bonnie” is all she said before disappearing.

I got to my feet, wiping the tears that were now in my eyes. Something was seriously wrong with Stefan and I had to get to him. I grabbed the grimoire and ran to the entrance of the cave where Elena and Caroline were standing, waiting for me.

“Is that it?” Caroline asked, pointing to the book in my hand as I got to them. I nodded and placed it in her hands before taking the car keys from her, getting in the car with them and driving off like a maniac. I don’t know what is happening to me or if what I saw was real, but I planned on finding out.

* * *

 

**Fell’s Church**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I had a split second to watch Damon get tossed against the wall by a psychotic vampire before I joined him “Argh!” he groaned from beside me as he tried to get up “Maybe splitting up wasn’t such a good idea after all”.

If I wasn’t in pain on the ground right now I’d kick his ass for that comment because he was the one who brought it up in the first place, but I should’ve known better than to listen to them. From the corner of my eye I could see Alaric start to wake up from being knocked out a while ago. He was already unconscious when we got here so they must’ve found him soon after he called us, but they didn’t just feed on him which meant they had control and that only reinforced my suspicions about them being sent by Niklaus.

“Are you okay there, Ric?” Damon asked helping him up as well. “Yeah, I’m good”.

“I don’t know who you are or why you followed us here, but we will kill you if you get in our way” a woman said as she came into view with her male companion.

“What do you want in Mystic Falls?” Alaric asked rubbing his head, “You don’t really think we’d be dumb enough to tell you that now, do you?”

“Well, we were hoping” Damon said with a mischievous smirk that would get us killed if he didn’t stop and judging by the look of the male vampire that would be soon. “Whatever you’re planning on doing here, we can’t let you do it” I spoke up getting their attention and the woman came at me, pinning me against the wall her hand around my throat. She had the stake we planned on using pressed against my chest and I tried not to cry out from the pain of the wood slowly plunging into my skin. Damon tried to come at her to get her off me, but ended up being restrained by the other vampire “Then I guess you’ll be the first to die” she sneered before I felt the wood graze my heart. I felt myself get weaker before I felt her release me, dropping me to the floor. I opened my eyes enough to see Damon pull the stake from my chest, what the hell just happened?

My question was soon answered in the form of a petite curly-haired witch that came into view with a teary smile on her face and all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and kiss her until she was out of breath. “You let them get away, Bonnie!” I heard Damon snap at her impatiently.

“They’re not exactly my priority right now, Damon!” she snapped right back and I was about to tell them to shut the hell up, but the splinter brushing against my heart made me groan in pain instead. “What’s wrong?” she asked, with a concerned look on her face and I just started grabbing at my chest because the pain was becoming unbearable. “Damon, there must be a piece of wood still stuck to his chest” she said frantically and Damon ripped my shirt open to get a better look, and sure enough there was a small piece of wood sticking out of my chest. In one fell swoop, he pulled it out and I finally started to heal “He needs blood” he said, helping me up and out of the building with Bonnie following closely behind.

Those vampires got away, but something told me they wouldn’t stay hidden for long. Bonnie must have caught them off guard, but they knew about her now and I feared what they’d do to her in order to get her out of the way.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I stood at the entrance of the parlor and watched Damon hand Stefan a bottle filled with animal blood, it was taking longer for him to heal than it would take Damon and I couldn’t help, but think of how he said animal blood didn’t make him as strong as Damon. I didn’t think much of it at the time but seeing the way he was tonight, maybe animal blood wouldn’t be enough if they were going to take on Niklaus.

When I got to Fell’s church earlier tonight I told Elena and Caroline to stay in the car before I ran into the building and saw Stefan being stabbed in the chest and immediately the image of him with his heart being pulled out of his chest came to the forefront of my mind and I suddenly felt my magic at the tip of my fingers, begging to be released.

_“Then find a reason not to lose control”._ I remembered what Ayanna told me and without even realizing it I used my magic without worry or fear of hurting someone and saved my best friend. As soon as she was off of him I ran to him as he fell to the floor to see if he was okay and that gave them an opportunity to run off, which is what Damon was bitching and moaning about earlier.

“Bonnie” Caroline said pulling me from my thoughts “It’s late so Elena and I are heading out, did you want a ride home?” I was about to tell her to just give me five minutes to make sure Stefan was okay when he spoke up for me from the couch he was sitting on “No”.

We all turned to him, but he was looking right at me with such an intense look on his face that I couldn’t bring myself to dispute what he was saying, and no one else did either “We’ll see you tomorrow, Bonnie” Caroline said before she and Elena headed out the door.

“I should probably head home too” I almost didn’t hear Alaric say, as he got up from his seat. I finally pulled my eyes away from Stefan’s so I could give Alaric Ayanna’s grimoire “Could you go through this, please? To see if there’s anything you recognize from your studies that could help us” I said handing him the book and he took it from my hands before nodding his goodbye.

Once Alaric was gone I pulled out my phone from my pocket so I could call grams and tell her I wasn’t coming home tonight. I could still feel Stefan watching me, which made my thinking incoherent and my heart beat faster so I had to get out of there. I walked out of the parlor and walked up the stairs to one of the guestrooms. The phone was on the first ring when I suddenly felt it being pulled out of my hand, I didn’t have time to process what just happened before he turned me around in his arms and covered my mouth with his.

I responded immediately without thinking about it, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulled him closer while his arms wound themselves around my waist completely eliminating whatever space that was left between us as he deepened the kiss.

“I’m in love with you, Bonnie” Stefan whispered as he pulled away so I could breathe. I’ve never been in love before, yet I know that I love him. He is my reason for not losing control, my reason for not completely letting the fear in because he was there with me. I looked in his eyes and my breath caught in my throat as I saw the sincerity in them, and I became so scared of what loving me could lead to “I’m scared” I whispered brokenly, unable to look at him again. He didn’t say anything, just stood there and let me get my thoughts together “I’m scared of how you make me feel, of loving you only to lose you like I almost did tonight”. He used his thumb and forefinger to lift up my chin so I’d look at him. He wiped the tears that I didn’t even notice were on my face with his thumb “I’m scared of losing you too, Bonnie” he said softly placing his forehead against mine “Are your fears going to stop you from being with me?” he whispered so softly that if I wasn’t paying attention to him I wouldn’t have heard him. I was so tired of being afraid, it was exhausting and it kept me from living the life I wanted with the person I wanted. “No” I said softly, and he looked at me in surprise as if he didn’t believe I just said that and honestly, I didn’t blame him.

I kissed him this time, I didn’t have the patience to wait for him to get over his shock and he returned the kiss just as passionately. It wasn’t long until I pulled him onto the bed, taking both our tops off “Make love to me, Stefan” I whispered heatedly before lifting my head from the pillow, kissing him again. I’ve never given myself to anyone before and I couldn’t imagine losing my innocence to anyone else. He handled me with tenderness like I was some sort of miracle and that night we became one, completely tied together forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter coming very soon.


	22. Masquerade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_General POV_ **

Bonnie woke up at six in the morning so she could get home and try do some damage control with her grams. She’s left her 15 messages already and if she didn’t get home soon then grams would start turning Mystic Falls upside down trying to find her. As she walked towards the kitchen to make herself cereal before she left she couldn’t bring herself to be worried about any of it. Last night was perfect and earlier she almost said screw it and stayed in bed with him, but she didn’t need to be grounded today not when everything was so perfect.

“Good morning, BonBon” Damon said as she walked into the kitchen and suddenly her perfect morning was tainted by a Damon-shaped imperfection. She went over to the coffee machine to pour herself a cup of coffee, choosing to ignore that he was even there, “How are you?”

“I’m not exchanging pleasantries with you, Damon” she said taking a sip of her coffee.

“You’d think after last night Stefan would’ve been able to make you less uptight, I guess I gave him too much credit”.

“You really are an asshole” Bonnie said it as if it was only really hitting her now and placed her cup on the counter. She went to the cardboard and took out the box of cereal Stefan kept for her at the house and poured it in her bowl. "I'm glad you noticed” Damon said and when she barely acknowledged him he knew something was off “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing”.

“You’re lying” he said and she looked up at him for the first time since she first saw him in there “If nothing was wrong then you would’ve used your witchy juju on me when I commented about Stefan’s skills in the sack, or lack thereof. So I’m going to ask again and this time try to be honest”.

 She sighed figuring she had nothing to lose, Damon was an asshole and she hated him 90% of the time, but the 10% when she didn’t hate him all had to do with the fact that they both cared about Stefan “I had a vision about Stefan”. All humor left his face then and he turned serious “What about him?”

“He was dead, Damon, his heart was ripped out of his chest” she said hoping if she said it quickly and got it out of the way it would be easier to not think about it, but she was wrong because the moment she said the words she could see him lying there, lifeless and it paralyzed her. Damon must of noticed because he held onto her shoulders waiting for her to look at him “You wouldn’t let that happened, would you?” he asked shaking her a bit to snap her out of it.

“Of course not, Damon” she said and he nodded, satisfied “Neither would I”.

Bonnie took in the look in his eyes and believed him “Look BonBon, you and I may bicker and fight all the time, but the only thing that keeps us from completely killing each other is upstairs happier than he’s been in his entire existence. I know we can protect him” he said, determined and she slowly nodded.

“I’m going to go help Alaric with his research, I’ll see you at the Lockwood’s” he said and walked out the door without waiting for an answer. Damon Salvatore didn’t care about anyone in his life, but he did care about his brother and that’s all Bonnie needed to know. It was enough for her.

She leaned against the counter as she ate her cereal, hoping Damon and Alaric would find something they could use in Ayanna’s grimoire. She was almost finished eating when she felt Stefan’s arms wrap around her waist from behind, pulling her against his chest “Good morning” he said, burying his head in her neck, placing a kiss there that made her shiver from the contact. “Hey” she hummed as he pulled back and she used the brief separation to turn in his arms so she could look at him. She reached up her index finger and started tracing the contours of his face with it, storing it to memory “You’re too pretty for your own good” she whispered absentmindedly and he smiled at her fondly before dipping his head to give her a kiss. He pulled her closer to his chest as his lips moved to her neck “Why’d you get out of bed?” he mumbled into her neck.

“Because I didn’t go home last night and grams is going to kill me, so I have to go home” she said and pushed him away slightly, making him whine. What he was doing was not making her decision any easier.

“But I don’t want you to leave”

“Tough luck, Salvatore” she said trying to keep him away from her again when he started reaching for her lips again. “I’ll see you later” she said, prying his hands from her waist and took her bowl to the sink to rinse off. “Don’t I get a kiss goodbye” he whined as she walked past him towards the door.

“That’s just asking for trouble, Salvatore” she called over her shoulder and neither of them could keep the goofy looks off their faces as he watched her head out the door.

* * *

 

**Alaric’s Apartment**

**_Damon’s POV_ **

I’ve read more books today alone than I have in the past century and my brain felt like it was going to implode from all the knowledge it’s consumed in the past few hours, too bad none of it was actually helpful. One thing did catch my eye though from all the crap I’ve been reading through, it was in Emily’s grimoire, which I assumed Ric probably got from Sheila or something. She wrote about Stefan being some sort of Anchor, but didn’t go into detail about what she meant, which of course only made me more curious.

“Hey, Ric” I called to him from my spot on his couch. “Yeah, you found something?” he asked looking up from the gigantic grimoire Bonnie gave him. “No, but I have a question” I said and quickly continued before he could stop me “What’s an anchor? Emily speaks about Stefan being an anchor and I want to know what she means by that”. Alaric sighed for a moment, probably wondering if he should tell me or not. He probably decided on the former because he gave me his full attention before he started speaking “It’s someone who is supposed to keep you from losing the essence of who you are. That person is made specifically for you, and nothing can ever keep you from each other”.

“And Stefan is that for Bonnie?” I asked, as what he said sunk in. “Yes, listen to this” Alaric said reading a passage from the grimoire in front of him.

_He is my heart and as long as my magic is still a part of the earth, it will find someone as pure as he is to help my successor in the battle to come._

“Ayanna was a seer, she started having visions of the events of today the day Hendrik Mikaelson was killed and she started preparing for it. She and her husband sent their kids away soon after, but he refused to leave her and they died together” he said and I assumed he got that from the grimoire. He must have been very important for her to put him in there.

“Well we know that she’s haunting our dear sweet BonBon, but what happened to her husband?”

“He was human, so I’m gonna say he went to heaven” Alaric started “Look Damon, all powerful witches need something to keep them from being consumed by their magic. For Ayanna, it was her husband, he was her anchor and she was the strongest when they were together”.

“I hear you Ric, but what does that have to do with my brother”.

“Ayanna’s spirit was dormant for almost a thousand years until November 1, 1846 when she started haunting her descendant Beatrice Bennett” Alaric said, but it was the date that really got my attention. “That’s the day Stefan was born”.

“Her magic found him first” he said nodding “I guess her magic recognized his pure heart and connected with him, but he was born too soon because Stefan grew up and Ayanna’s magic hadn’t been inherited by any of the Bennett women. By the time Ayanna started communicating with Emily she had come up with an immortality spell for Stefan, but we both know how that turned out”.

“So you’re saying that if it weren’t for their connection through Ayanna’s magic then they wouldn’t be together?” I asked, all this was too confusing and frankly my heard hurt just thinking about it. “I’m saying that Stefan and Bonnie were created for each other and Ayanna’s magic sensed that, if it wasn’t for the magic and him becoming a vampire then they never would’ve found each other”.

“Way to see a silver lining in having a homicidal hybrid after us” I said and he just rolled his eyes. “You can’t tell them, Damon”.

“Why not?” I asked, wondering why he told me to begin with if I couldn’t tell them. “Because they might freak out and think that their relationship was orchestrated when in actual fact their love is the purest kind”. I nodded and went back to the research I was doing before and Ric did the same.

It was after another hour when I finally saw something that could actually be useful.

 _Mystical object which binds the hybrid curse._ “Hold on” I said as the words on the page caught my eye.

“What is it?” Alaric asked and I got up and placed the grimoire on the table in front of him. “Listen to this”.

_For years werewolves have been drawn to the moonstone, thinking that it would break the curse that binds them to the moon, allowing them to transform at will. For centuries my ancestors have been trying to keep this stone from the hybrid, but I fear he may be onto us. The stone has been lost for almost a hundred years now and I hope it stays that way._

“I’ve heard of that curse, but I don’t know of anyone who’s actually ever seen the stone so I couldn’t tell you what it looks like” Alaric said before he thought of something else “But I know where we could start”.

* * *

 

**Forbes Residence**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I sat on Caroline’s bed watching in envy as she got ready for the ball because as I predicted Grams grounded me for three weeks so I wasn’t allowed to go to the ball, but she let me come help Caroline get ready though after the girl in question begged her over the phone. I had to be back at the house by seven though so she would keep an eye on me and I wasn’t allowed to see my friends after that, except for at school. As much as I tried to be upset about being grounded, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face when I thought about last night and from the look Caroline was giving me right now she must have noticed too. “You know, for someone who’s just been grounded you look different, and I don’t mean different upset cause you’re grounded, I mean different like you’re glowing” she said without taking a break as she looked at me through the mirror.

“I look the same, Caroline” I said trying to keep a straight face, but she saw straight through it and kept analyzing me until her face changed and it seemed like a light went on in her head “Oh my gosh!” she said finally turning around to look at me, the mirror completely forgotten. “You had sex!”

“Caroline!” I whisper-screamed, as I felt my face get hot. Her mom wasn’t here, but she said she’d come back in time to see her off and I didn’t want her to walk through the door and hear us talking about this. “Bonnie Bennett I can’t believe you had sex and didn’t tell me!”

“Could you keep your voice down please, and it literally just happened last night”.

“You should’ve called me this morning” she said before pouting and I rolled my eyes at her, not able to hold back my smile this time “You finally gave up your v-card, Bon, I’m so proud of you” she said jumping up suddenly and giving me a warm hug. I guess she’s not upset anymore. “And I called it too! I mean the boy looked about ready to rip your clothes off right there and then, the rest of us be damned” she said as she pulled away, making me laugh my head off. She joined in soon after, laying next to me on the bed.

It took some time to finally get ourselves together again and Caroline turned her head to look at me “You look so happy Bon, it’s a beautiful sight to see”. I smiled again squeezing her hand in gratitude “Thanks, Care”.

“How was it?” she asked, and I could tell from the look in her eyes that she didn’t ask so she could tease me so I gave her an honest response “It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. He was so gentle, Caroline, and yet so passionate that I never wanted it to end”.

We just laid there after that, staring at the ceiling in comfortable silence until her mom came home “Care” she called out from the hallway “In here mom” Caroline called back as we got off the bed. Sheriff Forbes walked through the door and was immediately mesmerized by the sight of her daughter. She was wearing a white lace Emerie Cutout Dress that complimented her curves beautifully and her hair was pinned up beautifully, fully revealing her gorgeous face.

“Oh honey” Sheriff Forbes sobbed out before she covered her mouth with her hands, trying to keep herself from crying. Caroline told me that her mom felt like she’d been failing as a mom, but ever since Ben almost killed her she’s been doing so much better. She said she finally felt like she was living with a mom instead of a warden, which made me happy because they were all each other had.

“Mom you need to get a grip otherwise you’re going to make me ruin my makeup” Caroline said as she went to go hug her mom. “I’m sorry honey” The Sheriff said before letting go of her daughter so she could get a better look at her. “You look so beautiful”.

“Thanks, mom”.

“Okay, well I have to get back to work, but I’ll be home by the time you get back okay?” she said and Caroline nodded. Sheriff Forbes turned to me, noticing me for the first time “Bonnie, honey, why aren’t you ready?”

“Um, I’m not going to be able to make it, Sheriff Forbes. I figured I should spend some time with my grams” I tried to lie convincingly, but judging by the sheriff’s face she didn’t believe me. I was grateful that she didn’t ask me any more questions though. “Okay, sure. I’m going to leave you girls alone. Honey, have fun and be home by curfew because I will be here” she said kissing her daughter’s cheek.

“Bye, mom”.

As soon as the sheriff left I got a text from Mr. Saltzman ** _We have a breakthrough. Meet at boarding house ASAP._** I showed Caroline the text before quickly forwarding it to Elena. “I still have time, let’s go”.

* * *

 

 **Salvatore Boarding House**  
**_General POV_**  
Elena was the first to arrive at the boarding house after Bonnie sent her that text. Honestly, she was glad to have an excuse to go and check on Stefan after he almost died last night. She still remembers seeing him being so weak that Damon had to hold him up, he already looked better by the time they got to the boarding house, but that didn't keep her from imagining what would have happened if they didn't make it there when they did. It really wasn't something she liked to think about, but it did open her eyes to the fact that she couldn't let him go, not when she almost lost him and she wasn't going to.  
  
She began knocking on the door hoping that he would open it, only to be disappointed when it was Damon on the other side. "Hello, Elena" he said with a smirk and she just gave him a disgusted look before walking past him and into the parlor, where Stefan and Alaric were busy looking over some books Elena assumed were Bonnie's grimoires.  
  
"Hey guys" she said, stepping into the parlor. She was wearing a black bandeau dress with her Mask in hand. Alaric was the first to acknowledge her with a warm smile "You look beautiful, Elena" he said and she smiled in gratitude. "And you guys look quite handsome yourselves" she said, admiring Stefan in his black tuxedo while he focused on the book he was reading. "How are you feeling today, Stefan?" she asked, trying to get him to look at her. He finally looked up and gave her a warm smile "I feel much better, thank you" he said gratefully and she couldn't help, but smile at his politeness. He looked happy, content even despite the events of last night and it was a beautiful sight to see and she hoped to see it more often.  
  
"So Bonnie texted me about a breakthrough?" She asked and Stefan's face seemed to brighten at the mention of Bonnie. "He's been doing that all day. I took his phone away so he wouldn't text her a million times" Damon said from behind her, making her wonder if Bonnie had actually taken her advice and the part of her that wanted Stefan back so badly hoped that she hadn't.  
  
"Ignore him, Elena, and yeah we think we may have found something" Alaric said and soon after they heard the door open and close before Bonnie and Caroline came into view. Without thinking Stefan walked up to them and pulled Bonnie into a warm hug, burying his head into her neck while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Elena's heart clenched at the sight.  
  
Bonnie pulled away from him and gave him a warm smile "Why aren't you dressed?" He asked looking at her jeans and t-shirt combo. "I'm grounded, but you'd know that if you bothered to answer any of my texts".  
  
"Damon took my phone" he said and the two girls looked at Damon who just smirked, lifting his glass of bourbon to them as if to say "You're welcome".  
  
"I'm not even gonna touch that" Bonnie said and then looked back at Stefan "Anyway grams grounded me for sleeping over here without telling her and then for not answering my phone".  
  
"I'm sorry about that" he said comfortingly and she just shrugged "It was worth it".  
  
"Urgh, all this fluff is making me ill" Caroline said from next to Bonnie and Stefan looked at her for the first time since they walked in, he hadn't even noticed she was there. "Sorry, Care".  
  
"No problem, so what's this big breakthrough you guys have made".  
  
"We found out what Klaus will need to break the curse" Alaric started, handing Bonnie the grimoire Stefan was previously reading. She took it from him and sat down on the couch while Stefan sat next to her as she read "A moonstone?" she asked wondering what it was.  
  
"Yes, it's been lost for almost a hundred years, but Emily said that werewolves have been obsessed with it for centuries so we could start looking for it there. Find it and destroy it" he said.  
  
"There are werewolves in Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked frantically, and here she thought her biggest problem was vampires so for now to hear that there were werewolves too? That was insane.  
  
"The Lockwood’s have been rumored to have the werewolf gene" Damon said and Bonnie looked up at him, already getting what he meant.  
  
"The party" Bonnie said and he smirked again. Damon might not particularly like the witch, but he respected her. She was quick.  
  
"Exactly, while everyone is partying it up we get some intel on that Tyler kid and his family while the others go look for the moonstone".  
  
"Yeah, but if those vampires were really sent by Klaus then they'll probably be at the party looking for the moonstone too" Bonnie said already thinking about how they could do this and also get home before her 19:00 curfew.  
  
"We have to split up then, have someone watching Tyler, while the others distract our unwelcomed guests while Bonnie tries to find the moonstone" Alaric said.  
  
"But if the family has it then I need Tyler. I saw this spell I could use on him, it won't hurt him".  
  
"Okay boys you're on vampire duty, try not to mess it up this time" Caroline said, earning a glare from all of them. "We better get moving, Bonnie only has an hour left before she has to be back home".  
  
"Thanks, Caroline" she said sarcastically as they all walked out the door.

* * *

 

  
**Lockwood Mansion**  
  
They all got to the party when Bonnie pulled Stefan aside and told the others to go ahead without them. "Something wrong?" He asked and she shook her head "I've been thinking" she said and he furrowed his brow.  
  
"Stefan, I hated seeing you hurt last night" she said welling up as she thought about it and he placed his hand on her cheek to comfort her "I'm fine, Bon".  
  
"Yeah, but what if you weren't? What if that vampire killed you? Stefan, you said it yourself, your diet only allows you to survive, you're not as strong as you should be".  
  
"What are you suggesting here, Bonnie?" He asked not sure he liked where this conversation was headed. It's taken him over a century to learn to control his hunger. If he started to drink it again he didn't know if he'd be able to stop and he didn't want to hurt anyone.  
  
She took a deep breath before suggesting what she's been thinking about all day. "I want you to drink my blood".  
  
"No" he said and tried to walk away, but she grabbed ahold of his arm "Stefan it will make you stronger".  
  
"It will also make me hurt people, Bonnie, hurt you and I'll never forgive myself if I lost control with you".  
  
"Then find something to hold onto" she said remembering what Ayanna told her. She placed his hand over her heart, reminding him that she was okay. "Something that will keep you from losing control".  
  
"You keep saying that you wouldn't let anything happened to me, let me do the same thing for you" she said and she could feel him slowly start to see things her way "we'll ease into it. We'll start with a drop and work our way from there".  
  
He nodded slowly, seeing the pleading look on her face and she smiled warmly before standing on her tippy toes so she can give him a kiss. The moment their lips touched Stefan wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss for a few minutes.  
  
When they pulled apart again she gave him her finger to drink from. He sighed, feeling a little nervous about tasting human blood again, and not just any human but a witch, which was way more tempting "You keep me from losing control, let me do the same for you" she said softly, and he smiled fondly at her before he took ahold of her finger and bit into it. He sucked a bit of the blood there before licking the remaining blood away so it stopped bleeding. He instantly felt his vampire abilities improving as he looked at her. He didn't know how to explain it, but it made him feel more connected to her.  
She gave him a chaste kiss before whispering "I'm proud of you" and then told him to tell Caroline and Elena to get Tyler outside since she wouldn't be let in because of how she's dressed.

Caroline and Elena came out a few minutes later with a reluctant Tyler trailing behind them “You guys do realize that I had to leave two very hot cheerleaders with Matt just to come out here” he said as they approached Bonnie “So what do you want?” he asked looking at Bonnie, he didn’t ask why she wasn’t at the party so Bonnie figured they must of told him before they dragged him out here. Bonnie walked up to him and took a deep breath “I’m sorry about this, Tyler” she said, placing two fingers against his temple and he immediately passed out. Caroline and Elena held onto him so he wouldn’t hurt himself falling down.

“Just lay him down please” Bonnie said and they laid him down carefully. “Okay, so what now?” Caroline asked looking down at the conscious boy laying on the grass, “Now, I dig around in his head and hopefully find what I’m looking for” Bonnie responded as she got on her knees close to his head and placed her hands on either side of his head. She closed her eyes and concentrated on what she was looking for, she’s never practiced this spell before so she was really working on faith here. It took a few minutes before she actually started getting memory flashes.

It took a while for her to get anything useful until she saw a memory of him finding a milky-colored gemstone. His father caught him before she could get a good look at it, but she can’t help but feel like that’s exactly what she’s looking for. She kept searching his memory until she saw another memory of him following his dad into what looked like a wooded area, he stayed hidden so his dad wouldn’t find him and watched him place it into a small box before throwing it into a well.

The two girls watched as Bonnie opened her eyes again with a focused look on her face as she got up and looked at her friends “What is it? Did you find something?” Elena asked seeing the look on her face.

“Do you guys remember that old well where we used to play when we were kids?” She asked trying to remember what she saw in Tyler’s head “Yeah” and Caroline is the one to respond this time.

“It’s in the woods, do you remember where?” Bonnie asked looking at Caroline and hoping she still remembered, but Caroline only shook her head no.

“It’s on the edge of the Lockwood property” Elena said, remembering that well clearly and Bonnie nodded as she took out her phone to text Stefan where they were headed “That’s where the moonstone is, Tyler’s dad hid it there after Tyler accidentally found it in his library”.

“You guys go get it, I’ll look after Tyler” Caroline told them and the two girls nodded in agreement, “Okay, just let me wake him up first” Bonnie said kneeling down again. She reached out her hand and the moment she touched him again she saw him with an animalistic look on his face as his eyes turned yellow.

Bonnie gasped in shock and pulled her hand away as if it burned her to touch his skin. “Bonnie, what’s wrong?” Caroline was the first to notice the fear and worry in her eyes. Instead of responding Bonnie looked down at the boy in front of her, she’s never really ever thought of Tyler as a friend. He was a bully and had a short temper, though now that she thought about it probably had something to do with his werewolf gene, but the things she saw in his head? Well, they were the kind of things she couldn’t un-see, especially the way his dad treated him. Looking down at him now she couldn’t help, but see him in a completely different light. She felt bad for using him like this, for invading his privacy the way she has, life as he knew it was about to change, and now that she’s seen it she didn’t know how to handle it.

She took a deep breath and tried again, touching the side of his face, waking him up, and then got to her feet to look at her friends. “Tyler, he…um, he triggers his werewolf gene, I don’t know when or how, but will you please keep an eye on him” she said pleadingly and Caroline just nodded and without saying anything she kneeled down beside Tyler. “He’ll be up in a minute, he won’t remember anything so just take him back to the party” Bonnie said looking down as Tyler already started to stir from his slumber. “Let’s go, Elena” she said before walking away, with Elena trailing closely behind her.

They don’t notice the two figures watching them from the shadows, listening to everything they were saying.

* * *

 

**Inside The Party**

**_Moonstone in well at the old Lockwood property. Headed there now-B._** Stefan looked at the text Bonnie sent him. He was standing with Alaric and Damon keeping an eye out for their unwelcomed guests, but there was no sign of them and that didn’t sit well with him. There was something off about this whole situation, but he just couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Now’s not the time to be swapping love letters with the witch, Stefan” Damon said from beside him, breaking him from his thoughts. “Don’t be an ass, Damon” he said before showing them the text.

“Bonnie found the moonstone, that’s great news” Alaric said after reading the text and Stefan nodded distractedly “Then why do you look like someone died?”

“Have you guys seen those vampires yet or caught their scent?” he asked instead of answering his question.

“Maybe they chickened out” Damon said drinking his bourbon and Alaric shook his head at his new friend “It’s still pretty early, Stefan, and Bonnie found the stone so we don’t have to be here much longer” Alaric said trying to reassure him, but it didn’t seem to ease his worry.

They sat there in silence for a moment, using their senses to try and track the vampires but they weren’t getting anything. Just sitting there doing nothing only made Stefan more anxious until he couldn’t stay still anymore “Something’s wrong” he whispered after a while, getting up from his seat.

“What? Are they here?” Alaric asked already reaching for the weapon on his sleeve. “I don’t know, but something is very wrong. We need to find the girls” Stefan said before speeding off towards the old Lockwood property.

* * *

 

**The Old Lockwood Property**

“So are you going to tell me what’s on your mind?” Bonnie asked after they’d been walking in awkward silence for the past five minutes. She knows Elena told her that she could date Stefan, but despite what Elena said last night about wanting her to be happy, she couldn’t help but feel like her friend was regretting her decision.

“I’m just processing” Elena said quietly and Bonnie could only nod in agreement because they were all processing this new life they were living now. How did they even get thrown together like this? Bonnie doesn’t remember.

They were silent for another five minutes before Bonnie sighed “How did we get here?” Bonnie asked herself, not aware that she’d asked that out loud. The three of them met when they were six years old and got along well enough, and except for Stefan, she’d never really been able to open up to anyone, not even a little bit and that’s probably why it took her a while to become friends with them. She still remembered the day it happened.

_They could hear the quiet sobs coming from Caroline’s room, her mom left a few hours ago to go back to work and Bonnie never understood how she could just leave her daughter alone like that. She asked her grams once only to have her respond by saying ‘people grieve in different ways, Bonnie’. Her seven-year-old brain couldn’t accept that, until one day she accidentally walked in on Mrs. Forbes crying in her kitchen over a broken glass. That was the day she stopped resenting her father for traveling so much._

_“Should we go inside?” Elena asked from beside her and she nodded before opening the door to reveal a crying Caroline balled up on her bed. Her dad passed away about a month ago and as much as she tried to be brave, it still just hit her sometimes. This is the first time they’ve found her like this though, so small and vulnerable, a complete opposite of the bright and happy girl they’ve come to know._

_The two girls wordlessly crawled onto the bed sitting on either side of their blonde friend, who was still balled up on the bed as if they hadn’t climbed on. Bonnie gently lifted Caroline’s head so she could lay it on her lap and started brushing her hair with her fingers while she continued to cry quietly on her lap. Elena scooched closer to them and started rubbing Caroline’s back in circular motion, hoping that it was bringing her some sort of comfort._

_“Count on me through thick and thin, a friendship that will never end” Bonnie started singing brokenly and Elena instantly looked up at her in mild surprise before she broke into a teary smile herself. She was singing Caroline’s favorite song, the girl was obsessed with the idea of friendship and it always made them uncomfortable because their friendship never felt natural, until now. “When you are weak I will be strong, helping you to carry on” Elena joined in, her voice cracking a little bit too. Caroline lifted her head for the first time since they walked into the room and looked at their tear-stained faces before letting out a quiet sob as more tears streamed down her face._

_“Call on me, I will be there. Don’t be afraid” Elena continued looking into her friend’s eyes as a tear rolled down her face and she quickly wiped it away. “Please believe me when I say” Bonnie whispered and started wiping away Caroline’s tears “count on me” she finished and the girl looked between them before she launched herself into their arms, hugging them tightly._

“I remember that day” Elena said softly, drawing her out of the memory and Bonnie gave her a confused look. “You were kinda singing out loud” Elena said apologetically as they reached the well. “Oh, sorry” Bonnie mumbled and turned to look into the well. It was pitch black down there so she couldn’t see anything, but she could sense the magic coming from the moonstone. _“Motus”_ She mumbled, using telekinesis to bring the box up to them and grabbed it once it was out. They looked at each other, relieved that it was really there before Elena’s face turned serious “I’m sorry, Bonnie. I’ve been all over the place lately with my feelings, and I’m sorry”.

“What are you saying, Elena?” she asked, trying to get her to be straight with her.

“I’m in love with Stefan”, and as soon as the words left her mouth they felt themselves getting weaker before passing out completely.

Stefan arrives at the well a few minutes later with Damon hot on his heels “What’s going on, brother?” Damon asked as soon as they arrived at the scene. He saw the crazed look on Stefan’s face and realized that he wasn’t okay as he frantically searched the scene, trying to pick up her scent, “Stefan” Damon said sternly, finally getting his brother to look at him.

“They’re gone, Damon” he said as he tried to call Bonnie’s phone, but there was no answer. He tried it a few more times while Damon searched the area as well and found no trace of them. “Maybe they went back to the party”.

“No, we would’ve been able to pick up on their scent, plus they’re not picking up their phones” he said. He knew something was wrong and now Bonnie was in danger because he didn’t trust his instincts sooner and he didn’t know how to find her or where to start.

“Before we jump to conclusions let’s go look for them at the party, alright?” Damon said, trying to calm him down and Stefan reluctantly nodded before taking off again.

They searched the whole party and were only able to find Caroline, who was freaking out because she failed to watch Tyler. He’d gotten away from her at some point during the party and when she found him again there was a dead girl on the floor of his dad’s library and Tyler’s eyes had turned yellow before going back to normal. When she asked Matt what happened he was in so much shock that he wasn’t really making any sense, but she got the gist of it and now she was freaking out.

“We don’t have time to deal with that right now, Bonnie and Elena are missing” Stefan said, running his hands through his hair. “What?! Do you think those vampires took them?” Caroline asked, feeling frustrated, this was just what they needed.

“Yeah”.

“So how do we find them?” She asked and Stefan thought for a moment before remembering one person that could find them “Sheila. She could do a locator spell to tell us where they are” he said, feeling a bit hopeful that everything might work out.

“Caroline, you and Alaric need to keep an eye on Tyler, okay?” he said and the two of them nodded and left to go find the new werewolf while Stefan turned to Damon with a determined look in his eyes “Let's go”.


	23. Lucy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Lucy Bennett.

**Albany, New York 1995 Lucy is 10 years old**

**_Lucy’s POV_ **

_“Mama!” I screamed out in agony as I watched this monster rip my mother’s head clear off her shoulders. As I watched my mother’s lifeless body drop to the ground I shook my head thinking this isn’t how it was supposed to happen._

_We knew he’d eventually find us, he wouldn’t stop until he found her and killed her before she fulfilled her destiny. The trouble was he didn’t know who she was, none of us did. We only knew that she was a Bennett and the simple fact that we shared her last name put us all in danger, and now got us all killed._

_We’ve been in hiding for almost a hundred years, never moving too far away and always preparing, preparing for today. I still remember what my mom told me “She’s our family, Lucy, and we always protect our own”. It was still so clear in my mind that it felt like she said it only yesterday instead of three years ago when I turned seven years old. That was the day she showed me the prophecy, she read it from a book she said she’d gotten from a historian she knew, but I didn’t think much of it at the time at least not until the first time I saw my mother kill a vampire. That was the day everything changed for me._

_“Why hello there, love” his voice made my blood run cold as it pulled me from thoughts of my mom. Even as he spoke I still couldn’t pull my eyes from my mother’s body, she tried everything she could to fight him off, to protect me, but he was not alone and he was stronger. “You killed my mother” I whispered still not looking at him, but I knew he could hear me. When he didn’t respond I squeezed my eyes shut, wiping away my tears so I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me show any weakness, and got out of my hiding place so I could look at him. “Are you going to kill me?”_

_He looked at me for a long time, as if deciding something before he seemed to settle his mind “You’re a Bennett witch, I’m going to use you”._

_“What makes you think I’d help you?” I sneered at him in disdain which only seemed to amuse him. “I have big plans for us, and in case it wasn’t clear, you’re mine now, little one”._

* * *

 

**Somewhere outside Mystic Falls**

**_General POV_ **

Bonnie slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. It was a little dark inside with no windows and only one door which she already knew was locked. As she sat up she noticed Elena unconscious next to her and the events of when they last spoke hit her like a ton of bricks, which only made her head hurt. She focused on the door, trying to get it open with her magic, only to groan in frustration when nothing happened. She doesn’t have time to dwell on that though because Elena was slowly waking up as well and she sat up when she recognized Bonnie, “Where are we?” she groaned as she looked around the small empty room.

“I don’t know”.

“Can you get us out of here?” Elena asked rubbing her head, which probably hurt as well. Bonnie shook her head no “My magic isn’t working”. Elena gave her a sympathetic look but didn’t say anything else so they just sat there in an awkward silence, thinking about their last conversation. Ten minutes passed till Bonnie couldn’t take it anymore and finally spoke up “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt?” She asked without looking at her, but instead leaned her head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Elena mimicked her position before she took a deep breath “I don’t know, Bonnie. I guess I thought I could get over him, but then he almost died, he would’ve if it wasn’t for you, and that just made me realise that what I felt for him was deeper than I thought” she said, her eyes starting to fill up with tears as she thought about almost losing him. “And now I guess I…” she let that sentence die in her lips, but Bonnie already knew what she was going to say, “You can’t let him go”.

“I can’t”.

They go quiet when they hear someone approach the door, “You’re awake, good” the familiar woman said as she walked in with her male companion.

“It’s you. Why did you take us?” Bonnie was the one to ask and she saw the woman smirk at her, “Because we needed the doppelganger, and you were getting in our way”.

“What are you talking about?”

“Many years ago, we made the mistake of trusting Katerina Petrova, and now we’re paying for it” the woman said mournfully and Bonnie looked confused for a second before the name clicked in her mind “Katherine Pierce” she whispered and the vampire gave her a silent nod “You’re running from Klaus, aren’t you?”

“And you’re supposed to be a myth” the man spoke up for the first time. He didn’t like the fact that Rose seemed to be telling all their secrets. This was supposed to be a quick trade, but now the witch was involved and he didn’t know how long she’d stay down. They found out about the prophecy after they met Katerina, but they never believed it. Katerina was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met and he fell for her, but she was on the run. Klaus wanted to use her to break the curse and when she found that out, she ran and found solace with himself and Rose, but what they didn’t expect was for her to kill herself.

“What do you need us for, you have the moonstone” Elena asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. “That’s not the trade we were hoping to make, love”.

“What do you want from us?” Elena asked fearfully, not liking the menacing look on the man’s face.

“Trevor and I have been running for five hundred years. We’re tired, we want it over so we’re using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess” Rose responded, looking right at the Katherine look alike. She never really believed it was possible, until now. They looked exactly alike.

“Why me?” Elena asked, she noticed that Bonnie had gone quiet, the wheels in her head turning.

“Because you’re a Petrova Doppelganger. You’re the key to breaking the curse”.

_“When I first got to town I thought Elena was Katherine”._

“The hybrid curse?”

“Oh, you do know your history”.

“What do you mean I’m the key? The moonstone is what breaks the curse” Elena said in disbelief, what they were saying wasn’t making any sense.

“No, the moonstone is what binds the curse. The sacrifice is what breaks it”.

“ _The only logical reason I can come up with is that they are related somehow”._

“The sacrifice” Elena couldn’t keep the fear from her voice as she looked at Bonnie, who looked like she wasn’t even there anymore.

“The blood of the doppelganger. You’re the doppelganger, which means in order to break the curse you’re the one who has to die”.

* * *

 

**Damon’s Car**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

We were driving to where Sheila told us Bonnie was, which was clearly far seeing as we’ve been driving for as long as we have and I was getting anxious. She hadn’t exactly been happy when we showed up at her house last night and without her granddaughter.

_“Stefan, where is my grandbaby?” That was the first thing she asked when she opened the door and honestly I wanted to tell her that she was on her way, that she got caught up with Caroline and Elena, but that wasn’t the truth and Sheila could tell that she was missing just by the look in my eyes._

_She ushered both Damon and I into the house and lead us to the living room before she went to retrieve a map from her drawer. “I could feel that something bad was going to happen, I should’ve trusted my instincts and never let her out of the house” she said as she brought it back with her and laid it out on the coffee table. I looked up at her then, “You felt it too?” I asked and she gave me an astonished look for a moment before it cleared from her eyes._

_“You drank her blood, didn’t you?” she asked and I didn’t know how to respond to that. I was kind of in shock over the fact that she got to that conclusion so quickly, but I managed to nod once and I could see the surprised look on my brother’s face._

_“She’s a part of you now, Stefan” she said and didn’t explain any further, instead she cut her hand and let her blood drip onto the map, “Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinam” she chanted over and over again while Damon and I watched as her blood travelled across the map until it stopped. She opened her eyes and looked at the map “That’s where she is. There’s nothing around there except for a house, she should be there”._

_“Thank you, Sheila” I said getting up. I was about to head out the door when a thought hit me, “Elena is missing too, and they were together when it happened”._

_“Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle Jenna” she said and I nodded my gratitude before leaving with Damon trailing behind me._

“We’re getting close” I said looking at the GPS on my phone “There’s an access road just past mile marker 6”.

Damon nodded before taking a blood bag from the back seat and started drinking from it. He caught me looking at the bag in his hands and smirked “If you want some, just ask”.

“I want some” I said, I was going to need it if I was going to face the vampires that had Bonnie and Elena.

“Ah, that’s so sweet. You’re going to be all big and strong and save your girl, but don’t worry, I’ve got your back. It’ll be fine” he said before taking another sip “I’m serious” I said looking at him and he must’ve seen the look on my face because he gave me the bag without further question. I took a sip before handing it back to Damon for him to drink the rest “Since we’re road trip bonding, remember the days when all you lived for was blood? You were the guy who ripped someone apart just for the fun of it”. He was talking about my ripper days. The first few years after I became a vampire, I was out of control, losing sight of who I was and I forgot about the promise I made to Emily. I still blamed myself for Bonnie not knowing her entire family because I lost track of them and they spread out all over the place. Sheila was the first Bennett witch I met after I got my act together and I made a promise to never be that person again. It was a battle I was still fighting today.

“You mean when I was more like you?”

“Yes, Stefan, exactly. Back when you put blood into me so I could be a big bad vampire. I wonder if Bonnie would be so quick to open her veins to that guy” he said, looking at the road. Damon and I were working on our relationship, but sometimes old wounds revealed themselves, like now. “By the way, what happened to that guy? He was a hoot”.

_“Then find something to hold onto”._

“I guess he found something else to live for”.

* * *

 

**House**

**_General POV_ **

“So, you called him?” Trevor asked as he walked into the abandoned house’s parlor with the two girls in hand. He tossed them on the couch and approached Rose with an anxious look on his face. “No, I called one of his contacts. You know how this works”.

The two girls on the couch gave each other worried looks, they hadn’t spoken to each other since they found out that Elena was the key ingredient in Klaus’ plan to rule the world. “Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?” The name got Bonnie’s attention. After Ayanna told her about the Original Vampires she’d done some research of who they were and even though she didn’t find out much, she did learn their names; Elijah Mikaelson was one of them.

“They say he got it”.

“Wonderful and what?”

“So that’s it, Trevor. He either got it or he didn’t. We just have to wait” she said getting frustrated with him.

“Look, it’s not too late. We can leave it here. We don’t have to go through with this”.

“I’m sick of running!” she blew up at him, she understood that he was scared, so was she. They were taking a very big risk here, but if it paid off it meant they could have their freedom, which was what she wanted more than anything.

“Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying”.

“Elijah’s old school” she said calming herself down a little bit “If he accepts our deal, we’re free”.

That seemed to calm him down a little and they all sat in silence again until Bonnie tried to use her magic again, only to have nothing happen, “Why isn’t my magic working?” She asked, breaking the silence and they all looked at her.

“You’re not the only one with a witch” Rose said as a tall black woman with caramel colored skin walked in with a cell phone in hand. “Hello Bonnie” the newcomer said, approaching her.

“Who are you? What did you do to me?”

“The name’s Lucy” she said with a smirk “It’s a neat little trick I picked up a while back and when my good friend Rose here called and told me they were having trouble with a teenage witch, I knew I had to help”.

“Where is he, Lucy?” Rose asked. They were supposed to arrive together and the fact that he wasn’t here made her anxious. “He’s right here” she said as the original walked through the door and took in the scene before him, his eyes locking with those of the two girls on the couch.

* * *

 

**Road**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

Damon stopped the car off the side of the road, not far from the house and got out with me determined to get to Bonnie, but Damon held onto my arm, stopping me. “Wait, I got a lot more experience than you do with this sort of thing”.

“What’s your point?”

“My point is, the last time we went against these vampires we had our asses kicked and you almost died. They are older than us Stefan, and they are stronger. Are you sure you want to do this?” Damon asked and I could tell he was a little worried, so was I, but as long as Bonnie was in that house, nothing was going to keep me out.

“Yeah, I’m certain I want to do it”.

“Because if we go in that house, we may not come back out”.

“Alright, then I won’t come out” I said and Damon shook his head at me before his expression turned serious as if he was thinking about something. “So noble, Stefan”.

“I can’t think of a better reason to die, but if you want to stay here, I’ll totally understand” I said and continued on my trek towards the house while Damon trailed behind me.

* * *

 

  **House**

**_General POV_ **

Elijah walked over to Elena and caressed her face as if he couldn’t believe that she actually existed. He was so sure that Katerina was the last doppelganger, but the facts seemed to be wrong. Elena, to her credit, kept a straight face through it all, not showing him any weakness, even though all she wanted to do was cry.

“We have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going” he said looking at Lucy, who just nodded in response. “One last piece of business and we’re done”.

He turned towards the pair by the door and approached Trevor, “I’ve waited so long for this day, Elijah. I’m truly very sorry. You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you”.

“Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that now I honor. Where was your loyalty?”

“I beg your forgiveness”.

“So granted” Elijah said before smacking Trevor’s head clean off his body while everyone else watched in shock. Bonnie noticed Lucy clenching her hands into fits before letting herself relax, it looked almost like a coping mechanism, but for what?

Rose cried out and was about to attack when he stopped her “Don’t, Rose, now that you are free” he said and walked closer to her, looking her dead in the eyes “Now you will leave here and never return” he said “I will leave and never return” Rose mimicked robotically. Bonnie and Elena looked on in shock, Rose was a vampire, Elijah isn’t supposed to be able to compel her, and yet they all watched as Elijah took the moonstone from her, tossing it to Lucy, before letting the other woman leave the house.

“Come” Elijah said to Elena, grabbing her by the arm, before turning to Lucy to leave a simple instruction “Kill her” and then walked towards the door. They heard breaking glass then, coming from upstairs and he turned back to Lucy “What is that? Who else is in the house?”

“I don’t know” she said and grabbed Bonnie by the arm and led her out of the room with the younger girl putting up quite a fight. Once they were away from Elijah, Lucy stopped and tried to turn Bonnie towards her, but it was hard because the girl was still trying to get out of her grasp. “Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you” She said, shaking her a little bit to get her attention. Bonnie stopped fighting once her words registered in her mind and she just looked at her. “Why are you doing this?”

In another part of the house, Damon and Stefan were trying to outsmart Elijah, but even though he’s lost track of Elena in all the commotion, when he received a stake in the stomach he simply removed it. “Excuse me. To whom it may concern, you’re making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can’t. Do you hear that?” he said, walking over to a wooden coat rack and breaking it into a stake. Stefan held Elena in his arms, trying to keep her quiet so they don’t get caught while she clung to him for dear life.

“I repeat, you cannot beat me so I want the girl, I’m gonna count to three or heads will roll, do we understand each other?” he asked and Elena let go of Stefan so she could reveal herself to Elijah from the top of the stairs “I’ll come with you, just please don’t hurt my friends, they just wanted to help me out”.

He climbed up the stairs at super speed, making her jump a little bit “What game are you playing with me?”

Instead of responding, Elena tossed a vervain bomb in his face. It exploded and burnt his skin, but he healed immediately. He launches himself towards Elena, but Stefan popped up in time to shoot him with the compressed air weapon Alaric gave him. When it didn’t hurt him, Stefan threw the weapon aside and rushed at Elijah, tackling him. They fell down the stairs and Elijah immediately got up while Stefan stayed on the floor. Elijah ceased the opportunity to attack him but was stopped by Damon staking him and pushing him against the door, and he died.

“Klaus killed my family looking for the witch that was destined to kill him. He spared my life and I became his prisoner, but he didn't know that I was looking for that witch too, and now I've found her” she said before moving her hands down to hold onto her wrists and Bonnie felt an immediate sense of recognition, one she’s only felt around her grams. “Who are you?” she asked and for the first time Lucy gave her a genuine smile “My mother is Joanna, first cousin twice removed from Pauline, niece of Sheila aka…”

“Grams? We’re related?” she asked as tears started to fill her eyes and Lucy’s smile broadened “Yeah, we kind of are. It’s nice to meet you, Bonnie. Finding you here was an answer to my prayers” she said as her own tears gathered in her eyes “Because of you I can finally stop letting vampires control me, so thank you for that” she said, her voice cracking at the end.

Elena rushed to Stefan and threw her arms around him, holding on tight. Stefan let her hug him for a moment before pulling away, “Elena, where’s Bonnie?” he asked holding her at arm’s length and she tried to hide her disappointment as best as she could before answering his question “The witch took her, Elijah ordered her to kill her” she said, barely finishing her sentence before Stefan sped off looking for her, while Damon and Elena followed after him.

When Stefan found them he immediately pinned Lucy against the wall with his hand around her neck, but she does nothing to defend herself. “Stefan, let her go” Bonnie said, touching the arm with his hand around Lucy’s neck. He looked down at her and after seeing the look on her face, let go of the other witch. Lucy fell to the ground gasping for air and Bonnie helped her up. Once she’d gotten air into her lungs again, she looked at up at Stefan just as Damon and Elena got there, “Hey, Anchor” she said and Stefan furrowed his brow at that because Alaric called him the same thing.

“Who’s the broad?” Damon asked, breaking the silence and they all turned to Bonnie for answers “This is Lucy Bennett, my cousin”.

* * *

 

**Grams’ Residence**

Sheila got up from the couch in her living room the moment she heard the door open so by the time Bonnie turned the corner she immediately saw her grandmother on her feet already waiting to receive her. Sheila let out a sigh of relief the moment she saw her standing in front of her, unharmed and Bonnie wasted no time in running into her grandmother's awaiting arms because it's been a long night, for all of them and if they could have this moment then they would make the best of it.

Bonnie felt the exact moment her grams tightened her grip and immediately knew what caught her attention. When she let go she could see the look of disbelief on her face as she stared at the person standing in the doorway of her living room. Sheila took a cautious step closer to get a closer look at the young woman standing in her home. When she was close enough she reached out her hand, grabbing a hold of Lucy’s and she let out a sob as she recognized who she was, and then the memories came flashing before her eyes. It's been almost 20 years, but she could still see the 5 year old girl clearly in her mind, the spitting image of her mother.

Sheila grabbed a hold of her then, bringing her in for a bone crushing hug as she sobbed on her shoulder. Lucy had given up on the feeling of familiarity that came with being around family a long time ago, but as she squeezed her great-aunt tighter she finally knew that she was not alone.


	24. The Last Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I'm glad that you guys I still sticking with the story.

**Mystic Falls Quarry**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I marveled at how the water crashed onto the rocks. The falls have always been beautiful to me, the sight of nature at work giving me a sense of peace I never knew I needed. I used to come here a lot as a kid when I felt like life was slowly suffocating me, and being here helped me breathe again.

It’s been three weeks since we found Lucy and things have only seemed to go from bad to worse, suffocating me. Elena started pulling away from the group after she found out she was adopted and it seemed like the only time I ever saw her was when we were discussing how we were going to keep Klaus from making her a human sacrifice. I noticed the longing looks Elena kept giving Stefan whenever they were in the same room and it tore me apart to know that I was doing this to her so I started keeping my distance.

Damon, Lucy and Alaric seemed to have congregated together, doing research, hunting down vampires that Klaus was clearly trying to distract us with and it turned out Elijah wasn’t dead, he even offered his services because he wanted revenge on his brother for killing their family. I didn’t trust him, but Lucy said he was honorable, so I’d play nice for now. Caroline, on the other hand, had her hands full with Tyler Lockwood, the most recent member of the Scooby gang, next to Lucy, who was freaking out about being a werewolf.

So like I said before, things have gone from bad to worse, and today I was out here because it was my mother’s birthday, she would’ve been 38 years old today and as much as I tried to focus on something else,  my mind kept going back to her, suffocating me, so I came here to breathe again

I pulled out my phone when it vibrated in my pocket and ignored another call from Stefan. “I knew you were avoiding me” I jumped at the sound of his voice, scaring me a little. What was the point of us being connected if I couldn’t even sense his presence whenever I wanted?

“What are you doing here, Stefan?” I asked without looking at him, I really didn’t want talk about this right now. “It’s Abby’s birthday, and I’m here because you’re here” he said and I turned around and saw the mournful look in his eyes because he remembered. A sob slipped through my lips as I watched him walk closer and when he was close enough to reach he pulled me into his arms and I melted, finally letting out the tears I’ve been holding in all day.

* * *

 

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

_“Everything’s going to be okay, Abby” I said handing her a glass of water to calm her down. “You can’t possibly promise me that, Stefan” she said as she downed her drink and gestured for me to take the seat next to her._

_“It’s a dangerous life we’re living, and we both know the witch never gets the happy ending” she said cryptically not making any sense. She’s been acting like this for a while now and every time I asked she wouldn’t give me a straight answer. “Abby, please tell me what’s going on so I can help you” I pleaded again, like I have been for the last few weeks, and just like every other time I’ve asked she shook her head, refusing to tell me._

_She’s been jumpy for weeks, but this was the first time she’s been vocal about any of it. “Promise me one thing” she said instead, grabbing a hold of my hand and I nodded. “Promise me you’ll protect my daughter” she said, not because she didn’t trust that I would, but because she was desperate and needed vocal reassurance so I nodded my promise “I’ll protect all of you, Abby” I said as sincerely as I could and hoped she believed me. She seemed to calm down after that, even giving me a warm teary smile as she sighed in relief. “Thank you”._

That memory kept popping up in my head ever since Sheila told us that Abby had actually sacrificed herself to protect Bonnie and the loss and guilt I felt all those years ago came back with a vengeance as I held Bonnie in my arms. She’s been pulling away from me ever since we found Lucy, I could feel it and I didn’t know how to stop it, but today was Abby’s birthday and the last thing she needed was for me to bring it up, not today, so I just held her.

She pulled away from me too quickly, but grabbed my hand and pulled me down with her, and we sat on the grass. “Will you tell me about my mom?” she asked shyly and I smiled at her before I thought of something. “Why don’t you tell me what you remember and I’ll fill in the blanks” I said still holding onto her hand, I wasn’t ready to let go just yet and she nodded before she took a moment to search her memory.

“She was beautiful” she started with a smile on her face as she placed her other hand on top of the one that was already holding mine, “Her eyes were hazel brown and she had long curly hair and I remember wishing my hair would turn out like that” she said as tears started to fill her eyes, but she continued. “I remember this one song she used to sing to me” she said trying to remember the words. I remembered that song, _“Caterpillar in the tree”_ I reminded her softly when she started to get frustrated because the words wouldn’t come and a tear escaped as she looked up at me, _“How you wonder who you’ll be, can’t go far, but you can always dream”_ she joined in softly, remembering her mother singing it to her when she tucked her in at night _“Wish you may and wish you might, don’t you worry hold on tight. I promise you there will come a day, butterfly fly away”_ she sighed with a smile as the tears freely fell from her eyes. I wiped them from her cheeks with my thumb, my phantom heart thumping against my chest as she leaned into my touch. I don’t know how long we sat there in silence, but I didn’t want the moment to end.

“I thought she’d live forever” she whispered after a while. “I’m sorry, Bonnie” I said and she squeezed my hand letting me know it was okay. “I can’t live like this, Stefan”.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to make Klaus regret ever messing with my family” she said with a determined look and I knew she meant every word. She was definitely Abby’s daughter.

* * *

 

**Lockwood Cellar**

**_General POV_ **

“Are you sure you don’t want me to call Bonnie?” Caroline asked as she helped Tyler prepare the chains for the full moon tonight. She’s been dreading this day since Lucy explained the transition to them, and as much as she tried to put herself in his shoes she couldn’t relate, but she still wanted to be there for him. Ever since they brought him into their group they’ve gotten closer and he’s become someone she’s come to count on, and she hoped he felt the same way.

“No, she has a lot on her plate right now” he said checking that the chains were tight. “Did you bring the Wolfsbane?”

“Yes. Not an easy herb to find” she said pulling it out of her backpack and gave it to him. When he touched it, it burnt his skin making him drop it. “I have a water bottle in my bag, we can mix it in there” he said as she picked it up again and went to mix it in the bottle.

“The guy at the hardware store said this set-up could hold up to 5 000 pounds” he said double checking the chains. “Is that more than a werewolf can pull?”

“I have no idea” he said a little worried and she grabbed onto his shoulder in comfort, “Hey Tyler, how are you doing?” she asked sincerely as she handed him the bottle and he sighed, a little nervous. “Still human”.

He turned away and took off his shirt, “Oh my gosh, you’re not gonna get naked are you?” she asked frantically.

“It’s elastic. What should I wear? I don’t think it’s like The Hulk, where I get to keep my pants” he said making her blush before she looked away.

They sat there for a few hours, Caroline not wanting to leave him alone. She looked outside the cave they were in and could see the light shining through from the full moon in the sky. They secured him a while ago, wrapping chains around each wrist, ankle as well as around his neck and they were all attached to the walls of the underground cave.

“What time is it?” Tyler asked, breaking the silence and she checked her watch. “Almost eight. What time does the moon crest or whatever?”

“Not for a while, Lucy said the first transformation can happen before the moon hits its apex” he said and reached for the bottle with the wolfsbane. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Yeah, Lucy said it’ll diminish my strength so I can’t break free” he said and started to drink from it.

“Tyler…” she said concerned when he started to choke and gag, vomiting on the ground as he got down on his hands and knees. She quickly got closer to him and rubbed his back. “No” he said weakly trying to push her from him, but she wouldn’t budge. “shhh…”

“Don’t! Don’t!” he said and she grabbed his face, making him look at her “I’m sorry” he sighed as she ran her hands over his head. He started writhing in pain then, his skin burning up. “Oh my gosh, you’re burning up” she said still holding onto him as he tried to break free from the chains.

“I’m burning up. It burns” he cried and all she wanted to do was take his pain away. “I know. Just breathe through this, okay?”

“I’m trying” he breathed and tears started to fill her eyes from seeing him in so much pain, “You should go. You should leave”.

“Not yet” she said still holding onto him, letting go when his bones started breaking and he cried out in pain “It hurts, it hurts” he sobbed and his spine started breaking “Get out!” he yelled at her, but she shook her head no, “I don’t want to hurt you” he managed to say before he let out another blood-curdling scream. She embraced him again “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere” she said and his bones started breaking again. His eyes turned yellow then and his fangs extended.  “GO!” he screamed and that scared her enough to get her on her feet and running towards the door, crying as she left him behind.

* * *

 

**Bennett Residence**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I was in my room going through my grimoire. I got home a few hours ago and went straight to my room which is where I’ve been for the past few hours. Grams and Lucy must’ve understood that I needed to be alone because they left me alone. Somehow, I got home feeling worse than when I left and not because of my mom this time, but rather because of Stefan.

Argh, why did he have to make this so hard? I loved him with everything in me, but it made me question if it was worth seeing Elena hurting the way she was. The look in his eyes didn’t make leaving him any better and even though neither of us said anything I think he already knew how hard it was for me to be around him. The sound of my phone vibrating drew me from my thoughts, it was Caroline. “Hey, Care”

“Bonnie, I need your help” she sobbed through the speakers and I quickly grabbed my car keys, already heading out the door. “Where are you?”

* * *

 

**Lockwood Cellar**

**_General POV_ **

Bonnie found her leaning against the door, listening to Tyler’s screams. “Care, are you okay?” she said giving her a hug and the other girl cried on her shoulder, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what else to do, he’s in so much pain”.

“Shhh, I know. I know” she said rubbing her back in comfort while Caroline sobbed on her shoulder. The sound of chains breaking from the wall snapped them out of it and Bonnie quickly pushed Caroline behind her. She locked the door and quickly performed a sealing spell so he wouldn’t get out. Not a minute later they heard him try to break the door down to no avail. “It’s okay, he’s not getting out” Bonnie said as she reached for her friend again and sat her down on the stairs beside her as they listened to Tyler continue to try and break down the door.

“Why would you come here alone?” Bonnie asked softly, breaking the silence after a while. “He’s had to deal with too much on his own, I didn’t want him to be alone for this too” Caroline said and Bonnie squeezed her hand as she remembered the things she saw in Tyler’s head that he’s had to deal with.

“You’re a good woman, Caroline Forbes” she said and just held her as they continued to listen to Tyler.

After a while, they realized that it was too quiet and they got up from the stairs. Bonnie opened the door for them and they walked into the cellar where they found him curled up in a ball, naked. “Tyler” she whispered, pulling off her jacket and draped it over him. At her touch, Tyler sat up, recognizing the girl kneeling in front of him “Caroline” he croaked out in response.

“You’re okay. You made it. You didn’t get out. You’re okay” she said and he shook his head, crying again “No, I’m not” he said and she embraced him while Bonnie watched them hold onto each other as if they were each other’s lifeline like one couldn’t survive without the other. He didn’t deserve what he went through and she was sorry that he did, slowly retreating, she decided to give them some privacy and left the cellar with a destination already in mind.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding house**

Stefan was in his room, wallowing in his own misery when he heard a knock on the front door. When he opened the door he saw Bonnie standing there with unshed tears in her eyes and didn’t hesitate to pull her into his arms. She melted in his arms, taking in the smell that was undeniably Stefan and let herself forget about Elena and the vision she’s been having of him dying and anything else that wanted to keep them apart because at this moment it didn’t matter, nothing mattered because they were here together.

She pulled away from him then and looked into his forest green eyes before she stood on her tippy toes to give him a kiss. He kissed her back passionately pulling her flush against him, eliminating any distance between them. He pulled away when air became a necessity for her, but didn’t release her from his arms. She smiled up at him, “You’re here” she whispered in awe and before he could respond she kissed him again with more intensity this time, wanting nothing more than to be one with him again.

* * *

 

**Mystic Grill Parking lot**

Alaric was headed to his car after having had a drink with Damon at The grill when he suddenly felt a pain in his head before passing out completely, revealing a man that was standing behind him. Another person appeared from the shadows and looked down at the historian’s unconscious body as a sinister smile appeared on his face, “You’ll do just fine”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to upload two more chapters because I owe you guys.


	25. Forever Part Of Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long Chapter

 

**Mystic Falls General Hospital**

**_General POV_ **

“We have a seventeen year old male with a stab wound close to the heart” The paramedic said as they burst through the hospital doors. “Okay, take him to ER stat” one of the doctors was saying, but she didn’t get a good look at which one it was as she kept her hand in his, the same way she has been since the ambulance got to the school. She didn’t know how to explain it, but she felt like if she let go it he’d disappear and she didn’t want him to disappear.

“Mem, we’re gonna need you to let go” the paramedic said getting her attention and she shook her head no, if she let go he’d disappear. “We don’t have time for this, mem, please”.

“Bonnie” Damon said firmly as he walked in behind them and sneered at the paramedic who’d grabbed a hold of her shoulder and she hadn’t even noticed until Damon yanked it away. “Bonnie, listen to me, you need to let go” he said making her look at him and she shook her head no again as the first of her tears escaped from her eyes.

“I don’t want him to disappear, Damon” she said so softly that if it wasn’t for his vampire hearing then he would’ve completely missed it. “He won’t, hey, listen to me. He won’t, but you have to let them help him” he said pleadingly, “Please Bonnie, trust me” he said and she slowly nodded, trusting him as she finally let go of his hand and Damon pulled her in his arms as she broke down.

“It’s going to be okay, Bon” he whispered into her hair, “It’s going to be okay”.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**14 hours earlier**

“Stefan stop, we’re going to be late for school” Bonnie giggled as he nibbled on her ear. “How about we not go to school?” he said flirtatiously as he continued his ministrations, eliciting a moan from Bonnie before she tried to push him away again.

“Not all of us are 162 year old vampires who learned about the world by living in it” she said holding onto his shoulders to keep him at arm’s length and made him look her in the eyes. “I need an education” she said and saw the exact moment when he gave in and gave him a sweet smile. “Let’s go” she said as she pushed him completely off of her and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Stefan watched her disappear into the bathroom with a goofy smile on his smile before he groaned, staring up at the ceiling. “Urgh, I don’t want to go to school”.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High School**

Everyone sat in their seats waiting for class to start when Caroline pulled out a poster of the 60s dance to show Elena and Bonnie and they smiled with enthusiasm. They’d completely forgotten that the dance was tonight and even with everything going on they needed a night to just be teenagers and nothing else.

Bonnie turned to smile at Stefan, pointing at the poster Caroline was holding up and he shook his head in disapproval. He’s gone to enough dances to last him a lifetime, plus he hated dancing so he really didn’t want to go to a school dance. She squinted her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him before she caught Elena’s eye as she awkwardly looked away.

Elena watched the interaction in misery. She thought she could get used to seeing them together, but she was so very wrong and she thought Bonnie was staying away from Stefan for her sake, but judging by how they were acting right now that wasn’t the case so she turned to the front just as Alaric walked into class.

“Hello, class. What are we learning today?” He said placing his bag on the desk. “With the decade dance tonight, we’ve been covering the sixties all week”.

“Right, the sixties” he said before Elena caught his eye. She really was the spitting image of Katerina. He stared at her for a moment before someone else caught his eye, the witch, he could feel the magic radiating off of her and it wasn’t like anything he’s ever felt before. He still couldn’t believe that she was supposed to kill him, she looked so young. “Mr. Saltzman?” Dana asked breaking him from his thoughts.

“The, uh, ahem…” he stuttered before turning to write on the board. “The Sixties. I wish there was something good I could say about the sixties, but...Actually, they kind of sucked. Except for the Beatles, of course. They made it bearable. Uh, what else was there? The Cuban missile thing, the...we walked on the moon. There was Watergate”.

“Watergate was the seventies, Ric” Elena corrected before clearing her throat for the slip up. “I-I mean, Mr. Saltzman”.

“Right” he said turning to her, “It all kind of mushes together up here, the sixties, seventies. Thank you, Elena” he said and didn’t notice the look Bonnie was giving him.

After class, Caroline was talking to Dana about the dance when she spotted Tyler. “Hey, Dana. Um, can you take care of these?” she asked handing her the posters and the other girl nodded, “Yeah, sure”.

“Thanks” she said before walking towards Tyler with a warm smile on her face. “Hey” she said once she was close enough and gave him a hug, “Hey, Care”.

“How are you feeling today?” she asked, pulling away and he nodded as he reluctantly let go. “I’m good, better, I mean, I’m better” he stuttered nervously and she furrowed her brows in worry.

“Hey, you know you can talk to me if something is bothering you, right?” she asked grabbing a hold of his shoulder and he smiled at her. “Yeah, I know, it’s just that…there’s something I want to say” he said making up his mind to just spit it out and she nodded, waiting for him to continue.

“These past few weeks, you’ve been there for me more than anyone ever has been in my entire life” he said putting emphasis on the last part, “And I wanted to thank you for that”.

“Tyler, you don’t have to-”

“Please, let me get through this” he said cutting her off, “I care about you, Caroline, and other than my mom, I don’t think I’ve ever cared about another human being and yet I care about you and uh, I was wondering if you’d give me the honor of taking you to the dance tonight”. That brought a huge smile to her face and she nodded enthusiastically, Tyler wasn’t good with words, but for him to take the time to tell her all that meant a lot to her so she hugged him again before pulling back to give him a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls Cafeteria**

“Hey, you okay?” Stefan asked Bonnie as they went to get their lunch and she nodded, “Yeah, why?”

“I saw the way you were looking at Alaric in class this morning, what’s wrong?” he asked and she shook her head because she didn’t know herself, all she knew was that she didn’t like the way he was looking at Elena. “Hey, did you see the way Alaric was looking at Elena this morning? It was off-putting and can’t stop thinking about it” she said, making him worry which was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Maybe we should talk to him about it” he suggested and she nodded, maybe that would make her feel better. They got their lunch and headed to their usual table to sit with their friends and got there in time to hear Dana tell Elena something that made Bonnie’s blood run cold, “He’s going to be at the dance tonight. Look for him, his name is Klaus”.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Elena asked just as frightened as she caught Bonnie’s eyes and saw the same look of fear reflected in her eyes. “His name’s Klaus. I know it’s a stupid name, but I swear he’s hot”.

“Where is he? Is he here?” Bonnie asked getting over the shock and tried to keep the fear from her voice while Stefan kept her steady as if she was about to pass out. “I don’t know” Dana said confused. “She’s been compelled” Stefan said looking at the two girls.

“But he wants to know if you’ll save him the last dance. How cute I that?” Dana said cheerfully before skipping away from them completely unaware of the bomb she’s just dropped on them.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

“So school isn’t safe anymore” Lucy said downing the glass of bourbon Damon poured for her in one gulp, and if it weren’t for the current situation they were in right now then he’d actually be impressed by that. In the past three weeks, Lucy was slowly starting to be his favorite person. She was cool and called things like she saw them, he liked that. “No this is good, now we know he’s here so we go to the dance and find him” he said taking a sip of his own bourbon.

“Yeah, Lucy knows what he looks like so she can point him out on sight” Caroline said from beside Tyler and Lucy nodded in agreement, “But Klaus isn’t an idiot so we have to tread carefully” she said as the door opened and Alaric walked in.

“There you are” Damon said once he walked into the parlor. “Sorry, I’m late” he said distractedly as he spotted Lucy standing next to Damon and tried to restrain his anger, he had to bide his time. “Hey, I need you to put us down as chaperones at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move”.

“Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What’s our plan of attack?” Elena asked, speaking up for the first time since they got there. “I can distract him” Lucy said determinedly. “Klaus is very good at holding a grudge, when he sees me there I can distract him for a while, giving you time to take him out” she said looking at Bonnie, and completely missed the sadistic look on Alaric’s face.

“That’s not going to be easy. I mean, he’s the biggest, baddest vampire around” Alaric said trying to sound normal and Bonnie shook her head. “It doesn’t matter if he’s an original, with Ayanna’s magic, I can kill him, I know I can”.

* * *

 

**Alaric’s Apartment**

“You were right, Lucy is with them” Klaus said as he walked through the door of the historian’s apartment. A part of him hoped that she wouldn’t be there because as much as he hated her line, he’d grown fond of her over the years and now he was going to have to kill her. “The witch was there too, all juiced up with Ayanna’s magic which means the prophecy is true”.

“We already knew the prophecy was true” Maddox said from where he stood and Klaus groaned in exasperation. “I know that, but after a few centuries of searching and killing Bennett witches I started to believe that maybe it wouldn’t come to pass”.

“Well, if she has that much power, she’ll be able to sense me coming from a mile away which means you’ll have to take care of this one yourself” he said his mind already working.

“In this body? I’m a hagged history teacher. She can easily hurt me. I mean, not me, Klaus me, but you know what I mean”.

“Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way” Maddox said, remembering the prophecy and Klaus sighed in frustration again because sometimes he just could not understand what the witch was saying, it’s why he preferred Lucy. “Maybe you don’t need to go after the witch directly in order to hurt her”.

“What do you mean?”

“You need to go after her heart. You have to kill the anchor” he said and the confusion cleared from his eyes. Of course, if he killed the younger Salvatore then she would become vulnerable enough for him to kill her himself, but the body he was currently in was still a problem. “The anchor is a vampire, and he’s human” he said pointing to the body he was currently still occupying.

“I can help in that department. You just get him to attack you and I’ll handle the rest”.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High School**

They’re huddled up inside the auditorium with loud music playing and a bunch of students who were completely oblivious to what was going on and Bonnie was holding onto Stefan’s hand as if it were her lifeline.

“Thanks for being here, everybody. We have a special shout-out tonight” Dana was saying from the stage, catching their attention. “This is for Elena. From Klaus” she said shocking the Scooby gang, but Damon rolled his eyes as the song came on.

“That was lame, cheap shot. He’s just trying to bait us”.

“I know everyone here” Elena said frantically looking around as if she could recognize him when she saw him. “Maybe he’s not here. Just wants us to believe that he is” Tyler said and Caroline nodded in agreement.

“It’s a party, people. Blend. Let him come to us” Damon said already grabbing a hold of Lucy’s hand and leading her to the dancefloor.

“Good idea” Bonnie agreed and pulled Stefan to the dancefloor who groaned in protest. When they were far enough he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. “So, if there wasn’t all this drama would you still have come with me?” she asked as they danced and he stared at her so intently that she swore he could see into her very soul, “I’d follow you anywhere, Bonnie” he said sincerely, making her smile up at him. She was about to kiss him when Alaric bumped into her, and the moment she touched him she saw him kidnapping Alaric and taking over his body. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. Kind of in a hurry” he said before quickly escaping into the crowd with a sadistic smile on his face.

“Are you okay, Bon?” Stefan asked getting her attention and she finally noticed him holding onto her with a worried look on his face. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just uh need to talk to Damon real quick” she said and quickly went in search of the older brother before he could respond.

“You see him yet?” Damon asked Lucy as they swayed and she shook her head no, “And if you ask me that one more time I will kill you”.

“Nha, you’d miss me too much” he said confidently before spinning her around and pulling her back to him again.

Bonnie spotted them dancing and quickly walked up to them “What’s wrong, Cuz?” Lucy asked, taking in the terrified look on her face. “I think I found, Klaus”. Without wasting any time, Damon led them out of the auditorium and into an empty classroom where she explained what she saw.

“Maddox” Lucy said knowing exactly who was behind this, it was reckless of her to not think of him. “He’s one of Klaus’ witches, aside from me, he is the only other witch Klaus really trusts who is strong enough to do a transference spell. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that”.

“It’s not your fault, Lucy” Bonnie said taking her hand. “So what are we going to do now?” Damon asked.

“There’s no time to come up with a new plan, I have to take him out before he hurts anyone” Bonnie said but the pair in front of her was already shaking their heads in disagreement. “That’s suicide, Bonnie, we have no idea what he’s capable of” Lucy said and she understood their concerns but after everything she saw, she had to stop him before it was too late. Damon must’ve seen the look on her face and remembered the vision she had because he slowly nodded, “Let her go, Luce” he said and Bonnie nodded in gratitude.

She about to head out the door when Caroline and Tyler burst through with looks of absolute horror on their faces. “Bonnie, come quick. It’s Stefan”.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls Cafeteria**

Klaus dropped to the floor after being thrown against the wall by the younger Salvatore. Luring him to the cafeteria was easy enough after he caught him eavesdropping on the witch’s conversation and pushed just the right buttons to get him to attack him. It must really be true what they say, love does make you crazy.

“Is that all you got, mate?” he taunted as he got off the floor which only seemed to piss the vampire off even more. “Let’s see”.

Bonnie ran to the cafeteria to find Elena already there banging on the door, but they wouldn’t budge. “Bonnie, something’s wrong. Stefan’s exhausting himself and Klaus doesn’t have a scratch on him, how is that possible?”

“Protection spell” Lucy said from behind them with Damon trailing after her. “The doors are sealed too” she added, “Then get them open!” Elena screeched and saw Klaus pull out a dagger from his back pocket. “I can’t get it open without knowing the spell he used”.

Bonnie stood there paralyzed as she watched Klaus hold the dagger against Stefan’s chest. “You made a mistake when you thought that you could beat me, witch” he said and Bonnie felt herself losing control of her magic and cried in agony as the vision of Stefan dead came to the forefront of her mind, releasing a burst of energy which opened the double doors keeping her from him, making them fly right off their hinges.

They wasted no time running into the cafeteria, but they were too late, Stefan was lying on the floor with the dagger in his chest and Klaus nowhere to be found. Bonnie got to him first and pulled the dagger from his chest, but the wound wasn’t healing. “Why isn’t he healing?” she asked looking at the wound and they all turned to face her. “It’s the dagger” Lucy said as she kneeled in front of Bonnie and next to Elena. “It’s laced with some kind of substance, I don’t know what it is, but it keeps vampires from healing. Soon it will spread throughout his body and he will be dead in a couple of hours”.

“No, I can’t let that happened, I can’t, I-”

“This is all your fault” Elena said in a dangerously low tone as she cut her off, looking at Stefan’s face before she turned to look at Bonnie, “If you would’ve just left him alone, none of this would’ve happened”.

“Elena!” Caroline reprimanded, but Bonnie held up her hand to stop her “She’s right, I should’ve stayed away from him. But I won’t let him die, I can’t” she choked out before closing her eyes and focusing all her magic to healing him. When she opened her eyes again the wound was still open and he wasn’t healing. “Wake up, Salvatore” she whispered and felt like she was slowly losing her mind as she squeezed his hand, waiting for him to wake up.

She doesn’t know how long they sat there, the only sound coming from Elena’s quiet sobs. Damon was clutching onto Lucy for dear life, but he wouldn’t cry and with every passing minute they felt like they were losing a piece of themselves and Bonnie kept a hold of his hand while the other one brushed his hair, but she didn’t cry, she couldn’t because all she felt was numbness.

“We should take him to the hospital” Elena said quietly and Bonnie didn’t have the energy to argue with her about how that was a bad idea when he was a vampire and didn’t have a heartbeat and watched her pull out her phone and call an ambulance.

By the time they got there, Lucy was the only one thinking clearly so she performed a phantom spell to make it seem like his heart was beating, what baffled her though was why he didn’t seem to be getting worse. She’s seen Klaus use that dagger a million times and every vampire has had a slow and painful death from it and yet Stefan wasn’t getting worse.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls General Hospital.**

Lucy watched her cousin absentmindedly play with Stefan’s hand, they’ve been there the whole night during which time Lucy explained her theory to Damon and they even noticed that he seemed to be getting better rather than worse, but Bonnie couldn’t hear any of it as she sat by his bedside.

Everyone else had gone home, leaving her alone with Damon and her cousin. They were all comfortable enough to go after Lucy explained to them what happened, but Bonnie still wouldn’t move from her seat. “Could you give us some time alone” Damon said to her and Lucy nodded with a sad smile before leaving the room.

Damon stood on the other side of the bed so that he could get a good look at her. She looked exhausted, not just physically, but also emotionally, mentally. He doesn’t know what she did, but it probably took a lot out of her. “Stefan’s going to be alright, Bonnie” he said trying to get her look at him. She hadn’t spoken a single word to anyone since they first got to the hospital and they were all worried that she was spending too much time in her own head.

She finally tore her eyes from Stefan’s face and looked up at Damon. “Yes he will, I’ll make sure of it”.

“What are you talking about?” Damon asked not sure he liked where this conversation was headed. They were probably right to worry about her because in her silence she’s thought about everything that’s happened and everything that Ayanna’s told her and she made a decision that would keep Stefan safe. “I’m going to take myself out of the equation”.

Damon sped to the other side of the bed then and pulled her out of her chair, forcing her to let go of Stefan’s hand, “Are you insane, Bonnie?!” he said with his crazy eyes and she yanked her arms from his grasp, getting just as angry, “Stefan was never supposed to die for me, Damon!” she yelled as fresh tears streamed down her eyes before she quickly wiped them away, taking a deep breath to calm herself down, “And he’s not going to”.

“Just think about what you’re saying for a minute, damn it!”

“That’s just it, Damon, It’s all I’ve been thinking about!” she snapped and then turned to the bed her best friend was currently lying on, unconscious. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I had that vision of him dying, and since I found that stupid spell” she said and turned to him again. “This is the only way I can think of to protect him, let me do that”.

Damon looked at her for a moment, and saw that she’d made up her mind. For her, this was the only way to protect him and he wanted the same thing for his brother so he slowly nodded. She took a deep breath, glad that he wouldn’t fight her on this anymore and then took slow tentative steps towards the bed until she was close enough to grab a hold of his hand.

“You'll always be my family, Stefan and even though you won't remember, I'll remember for the both of us” she whispered as tears streamed down her face and kissed his forehead before she performed the spell, and piece by piece she removed herself from his memory.

_“I can't stay long Emily, Miss Katherine she’s-“_

_“She's a vampire, but don't worry yourself, I'll help you”._

_“This is a dangerous life we're living and we both know that the witch never gets a happy ending. Promise me you'll protect my daughter”._

_“I'll protect all of you, Abby”._

_“Thank you”._

_“I failed her Sheila, now that little girl is going to grow up without a mother”._

_“You did your best, that's all any of us could ever ask of you”._

_“Happy Birthday, Bunny!”_

_“I thought she'd live forever”._

_“She’s always with you, Bonnie”_

_“You're leaving again”._

_“When did you get here?”_

_“I am in love with you, Bonnie Bennett”._

_“I'll see you, Salvatore”_

After the doctor left a few hours later she turned to Damon, who’d come back into the room after she performed the spell and stood in the corner of the room, she tried to keep herself from crying again, but Damon could see that she could barely keep herself together so he approached her and drew her into a hug she melted into and quietly cried on his shoulder.

She pulled away after a few minutes and looked up at him, “Take care of him” she said sincerely and he only nodded. She smiled up at him, believing him and turned to give Stefan one last kiss, “I’ll see you, Salvatore” she sobbed into his ear and finally found the strength to walk away from him.


	26. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one for now, I hope you enjoy.

**Bennett Residence**

**_General POV_ **

"You're LEAVING!" Caroline screeched as she looked at her best friend like she's lost her mind.  
  
"You mind saying that a little louder, I don't think the whole of Mystic Falls heard you" she whisper-shouted sarcastically, to which Caroline just rolled her eyes.   
  
"Bonnie, you can't just leave Mystic Falls" she said a little calmer, "Especially not with Klaus still on the loose".  
  
Bonnie sighed because she was right, but she's given this a lot of thought and this was the only way she could think of. "Caroline, I'm not connecting with Ayanna's magic" she said as she sat down on her bed next to her friend.   
  
She's been coming by every day since Bonnie performed the amnesia spell on Stefan. Caroline knew better than anyone how strong Bonnie was and how good she was a hiding her feelings when she was broken, but running? This was new. "I'm supposed to be this powerful witch destined to kill Klaus and yet I can barely keep my best friend alive" Bonnie continued, thankful that her voice didn't crack, "And it's hard for me to accept it because I can't relate to her, so I need to put myself in her shoes. I need to know what connects us so much".  
  
"And this has absolutely nothing to do with Stefan?" Caroline asked skeptically. She got what Bonnie was saying, she couldn't imagine what it was like to have your ancestor just give you her magic and tell you you had this great destiny, so she couldn't relate, but she also knew her best friend and Stefan almost dying broke something in her and she thought her only solution was to flee.  
  
Bonnie sighed as she thought about him. She hasn't seen him since she altered his memory, which was a week ago. She hasn't been going to school so she didn't have to see him or accidentally run into him at all. She's rather chosen to spend her time practicing and getting stronger, but it just wasn't happening, she was too distracted, too heartbroken. "I'm not gonna lie, I miss him and I wish things were different, but Caroline I'm doing this for him as well, for all of you" she said and grabbed her friend's hand. "Please tell me you understand that".  
  
Caroline reluctantly nodded, squeezing her hand because she did understand. Bonnie had to find out who she is, and who she and Ayanna were as a unit. "Where are you going to go?"  
  
"Salem. Ayanna was born there so that's where I'll start" Bonnie said relieved that she had her support. "Grams and Lucy are going to help hold down the fort until I come back".  
  
"And when will that be?" Caroline asked and Bonnie looked down because she didn't know how to answer that. A part of her wanted to tell her that it would be soon, but she honestly had no idea and she didn't want to lie to her friend.  
  
"I don't know".  
  
Caroline sighed in frustration. She felt like she was losing her friends and she hated it. She couldn't even recognize Elena anymore and with everything Bonnie was going through it was all just becoming too much. "When are you planning on leaving?"  
  
Bonnie got up then, suddenly unable to look at her friend anymore and Caroline looked up at her suspiciously already knowing she wouldn't like the answer. "When are you leaving, Bonnie?".  
  
"Tonight" she said cringing, "And I only told you now because I didn't want you to make a big deal about it and I didn't want the news to get back to Damon because I don't need him over here yelling at me so I need you to promise not to tell anyone until I'm gone" she rushed out all in one breath, her eyes pleading with her to let it go.  
  
Caroline sighed in frustration for the second time and walked up to her, "Fine, but, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, in his own twisted way, Damon cares about you and it's taken a lot for him not to spill the beans to Stefan".  
  
"I know that, and I don't want him to try and stop me, Care, I need to do this".  
  
"I promise. Just don't stay away too long" Caroline said reaching for her and gave her a warm hug as she whispered in her ear, "Stay safe, Bon".

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I stood in front of my mirror looking at where my wound used to be. Damon said that we were fighting some vampires and I apparently got the short end of the stick. When I wouldn’t heal they took me to the hospital. When I asked who ‘we’ were he mentioned names of people I didn’t know, at the time anyway, but ever since I got out of the hospital a bunch of people kept coming by to see me who turned out to be the people Damon told me about.

One of them stood out though, the girl Elena, she looked exactly like Katherine. Damon said she was a doppelganger and that she isn't really Katherine, I'm still getting used to her and she visits the most. Other than that everything is good, I try to ignore the fact that they all seem to be hiding something from me, like now, for example, Damon is talking to that girl Caroline about someone who left. They never say her name, but she's probably someone important judging by the way Damon is reacting to her departure.  
  
"Hey Stefan" Caroline said from behind me drawing me from my thoughts. I recognize her scent immediately and I know it's her because Damon just left, slamming the door behind him.   
  
"Hey" I said still looking at the place my wound used to be. "Damon had to leave".  
  
"I heard" I said finally pulling down my shirt and turned to look at her "what's got him so upset?"  
  
"You know Damon, the littlest thing gets him upset" she said, which was true, but the fact that her heart rate was elevated told me she was lying.  
  
"Well my brother has always had a bit of a temper" I said looking at her, she seemed nervous all of a sudden and I knew that if I was going to get any kind of answer than it would be from her. "Who is she?"  
  
"Who's who?" She said avoiding eye contact. "The girl that's got my brother so upset".  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Stefan".  
  
"Oh come on, Caroline, you can't lie to a vampire so don't even try it" I said walking closer to her. "Just tell me who she is and I'll drop it". She looked down then and seemed to be considering it. I actually thought she'd cave until I saw the look in her eyes when she looked back up at me.   
  
"Look, I know you want answers, but I can't give them to you and I know you're not going to compel it out of me because that's not the kind of guy you are so instead of wasting your time trying to get information that I'm not going to give you let's rather just head to school otherwise we're going to be late" she said with a determination that took me back a little.  
  
I sighed and grabbed my bag when she lifted her eyebrows at me indicating that I get moving. Even though I didn't know much else I knew that they were definitely keeping something from me so if they weren't going to tell me then I'll just figure it out myself.

* * *

 

**Bennett Household  
_Damon's POV_**

  
I stood outside Bonnie's house banging on the door waiting for Lucy to open. When Caroline told me that Bonnie left last night I knew that if I didn't get out of that house then I would end up doing something I'd regret.   
  
Sometimes I really missed the days when I could just act impulsively and not give a damn what anyone thought, days like these. "Are you trying to break down the door?!" Lucy yelled as she opened the door with more force than necessary.  
  
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" I screamed right back and it must've clicked what I was talking about because she deflated immediately and looked almost mournful.  
  
"She asked me not to".  
  
"And you listened to her?" I said still trying to calm down, but that was probably the wrong thing to say because she looked at me with fierce eyes that almost made me forget why I was there in the first place, "Yes, Damon, I listened, because she's my cousin and I love her" she sassed, "and she knew you'd react exactly how you are now".  
  
"And how am I reacting, Luce?"  
  
"Like a caveman" she said, "Look Damon, she just didn't want you to stop her, and she needs this". I looked at her then, letting me see the sincerity behind her words. It was true, Bonnie Bennett wasn’t one to just make a decision impulsively and without thinking things through so if she needed this then I'd let it go, at least until she came back.   
  
"How's Stefan doing?" She asked breaking me from my thoughts. She probably must've noticed that I was letting it go and I marveled at how easy it apparently was for her to read me. It wasn't that hard to figure out though, we have been spending a lot of time together and she was there for me when Stefan got hurt. I couldn't recall anyone ever doing that for me.  
  
"He's confused. I think he suspects something, my brother was always too smart for his own good" I said with my signature smirk which she apparently didn't appreciate.   
  
"We can't let him find out, Damon" she said fiercely again and if she didn't stop that thing she did with her eyes then I'll end up doing something someone else might consider stupid.   
  
"I know, and he won't I promise" I said and that calmed her down a bit which I took to mean she trusted me.  
  
"Okay, now would you like to come in for some breakfast?" She asked questioningly and even though breakfast didn't taste all that great to me, I wasn't going to say no to spending the morning with her.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls High School**  
_Stefan's POV_  
  
I let Caroline lead me down the halls of the school I've apparently been going to for the past few months. It was my first day back after being home from the hospital for a week and I still couldn't remember anything. I got stabbed in the chest and yet my head was the problem and none of my so called friends were telling me why, all I got were vague non-answers and it was really starting to piss me off, but I kept it to myself.  
  
We had history for first period so I let Caroline lead me to wherever history class was where we spotted Elena waiting for us outside. "Hey, Stefan".  
  
"Hey, Elena, how are you?"  
  
"I'm good, thanks. What about you, are you okay?" She asked rubbing my shoulder. That was another thing, they all treated me like I was fragile, I was a vampire for goodness sakes, and I hated how they treat me, like I was about to break. "I'm fine, Elena, thanks" I said, trying to keep the sarcasm off my tone because I know she was just concerned and I didn't want to hurt her feelings.  
  
"Hey, Elena".  
  
"Oh, hey, Caroline" she said noticing her for the first time and I saw Caroline roll her eyes, but Elena didn't seem to notice as she kept her eyes on me. It was so weird looking at her and not seeing Katherine, the vampire who destroyed my relationship with my brother, or tried to anyway, Damon said that he got over the whole eternity of misery thing and that we were actually working on our relationship. I think that's probably the only good thing to come out of whatever happened to me.  
  
"We should get inside" I said, trying to break the awkward tension I found myself in the middle of and Caroline agreed before we all walked into class.  
  
There was an empty seat. It was two rows in front of me, to my left and for some reason I couldn't stop staring it. I don't know what it was, but it felt like someone should be sitting there, someone important. The history teacher, Mr. Saltzman, caught me staring at it more than twice and he didn't say anything, but instead gave me that same stupid sympathetic look everyone else was giving me as well.  
  
Lunchtime came by quicker than I expected and, even though I don't like the taste of food I eat it anyway just to seem more human, which was why I was standing in the lunch line waiting to buy a turkey sandwich which seemed to be calling out to me.   
  
When I finally got to the front of the line the lady behind the cash register gave me a warm smile. "Hey, so what can I get you?"   
  
"Hi. I'd like a turkey sandwich" I said pointing at it. "Your best friend's lucky, this is the last one" she said handing it to me with a smile and rang it up.   
  
"Best friend?" I asked confused.   
  
"Uh, yeah. The last time you got this sandwich you told me it was her favorite. I didn't catch her name though, which shows very bad listening skills on my part, but I hope she enjoys it" she rambled on animatedly, but I couldn't get past the fact that I had a best friend I couldn't remember. The thought stayed with me even as I sat at our lunch table, but decided not to bring it up to them because they weren't going to tell me anything.   
  
"Hey Stefan, I was uh wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me at The Grill tonight" Elena said snapping me out of my thoughts and for the first time since I sat down I noticed the disapproving look Caroline was giving Elena.  
  
"Um, I don't know Elena, with my memory the way it is I'm not sure I want to be around that many people just yet" I said and I knew it was wrong of me to use that as an excuse, but I really didn't feel like going out tonight.  
  
"Oh come on, it will be fun".  
  
"He said he doesn't want to go, Elena" Caroline said through gritted teeth, obviously trying to hide the anger I could see reflected in her eyes.  
  
"Fine" she said looking at Caroline before turning back to me, taking a hold of my arm "I'll come over then and we can hang out. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever" she said and I refrained from mentioning that she came over last night as well, everyone else was there too, but still, or the fact that she was seeing me now.  
  
The rest of our lunch went by pretty smoothly, or as smoothly as it could go when sitting between two girls with obvious beef with each other, but it wasn't my business, it's not like they'd tell me anyway.

* * *

 

**Forbes Residence**  
_Caroline's POV_ __  
  
"Urgh! I swear that girl is relentless" I groaned in frustration, tossing my bag on my bed and almost hit Tyler. "Sorry" I mumbled, but he was already waving it off. It wasn't like it could hurt him, but still, it was the principle.   
  
"I can't believe she's doing this to Bonnie. I told her to stay away from Stefan, I told her, but does she listen, NO" I said pacing in front of him. That girl has been trying to dig her claws into him since he got out of the hospital and it was really starting to get old. "She refuses to listen to reason. Stefan loves Bonnie and when his memory comes back she will be left out in the cold again. She's setting herself up for failure!" Argh! Elena could be so impulsive and selfish sometimes and this game she was playing would only end in heartbreak.  
  
"How are you so sure his memory will come back?" He asked speaking up for the first time and I really looked at him. He wasn't trying to be mean or anything, he was genuinely curious. We've gotten so close this past month that I'm able to read him, all his nuances and mannerisms. He's become what Stefan was to Bonnie, he's become my anchor.  
  
"Because it's Bonnie and Stefan, and I know he'll figure this out, I know it".

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**  
_Stefan's POV_  
  
_This is what I know. I am living a lie, there is something very wrong and everyone has turned against me. I know that this is not the life I'm supposed to be living, something's missing, someone is missing.  
  
_ Your best friend's lucky...  
  
She left, Damon...  
  
_I can't help but think that they might be the same person, or maybe I'm letting my imagination run away with me, but this is the only lead I have.  
  
_ I closed my journal when I heard Elena walk through the door and looked at my journal, my new journal, Damon wasn't as smart as he thought he was. Speaking of, where was Damon when you needed a buffer?  
  
I quickly made my way downstairs before she came up here and I found her in the parlor waiting for me. "Hey" she said from where she stood in front of the fireplace.   
  
"Hey, Elena" I said walking further into the parlor. "Is Damon here?" She asked and I shook my head. It was no secret that Elena didn't like Damon, not all that surprising considering who Damon is, but Caroline seemed to tolerate him which wasn't something a lot of people did.   
  
"Good" she seemed to relax more at the revelation and moved to the couch and indicated for me to join her. "So what were you doing up there?"  
  
"Writing in my journal. I figured, I should write down everything I remember" I said and she stiffened next to me.   
  
"And do you? Remember anything?" she asked tightly, but she tried to hide it, badly. Plus, her heart rate escalated the moment I said remember. I shook my head, "No, it feels like I'm walking around in the dark trying to find an on switch, but I can't which is frustrating".  
  
"Maybe you should let it go, for now anyway, and if you're meant to have them then they'll come back to you" she said and I furrowed, did she just say what I thought she said? "Elena, are you saying that I shouldn't want to have my memory back".  
  
"No, I'm just saying don't rush it and maybe, for now, you could work on making new ones" she said and grabbed my hand. "We all care about you, Stefan, I care about you" she said and I got a weird sense of deja vu, the feeling was fleeting and it went as quickly as it came. "I know you don't remember this, but we dated before your accident".  
  
Was she serious?   
  
"I still remember the day you asked me out. It was the night of the comet a few months ago" she said getting a little emotional. "And I was sooo scared of opening my heart up again after my parents died, but you, Stefan, you were worth it and I fell in love with you".  
  
I looked at her in shock, and I could see the tears in her eyes. I wish I could remember our relationship together if for nothing else than just so she didn't feel like this was one sided. "And then you got hurt and it felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest" she choked out before breaking down in front of me and without thinking I pulled her into my arms and let her cry against my chest.  
  
I didn't know I put her through so much, I've been so focused on getting my memory back that I didn't think about how my accident affected everyone else. "I'm so sorry, Elena". She pulled away then, tears still in her eyes that I quickly wiped away. "It's not your fault you got hurt, and maybe, well I was hoping we could try again" she said placing her head on my chest again and I nodded on top of her head. I owed this to her, after everything I put her through. "I'm sorry I can't remember us".  
  
"It's okay, Stefan, I'll remember for the both of us".  
__  
I'll remember for the both of us.

* * *

 

**Salem**  
_Bonnie's POV_  
  
_"Are you insane? What are you doing here?" I whisper shouted as I opened my window to let Stefan climb through. "Grams and Lucy are right down the hall"._  
  
"I couldn't sleep, I wanted to make sure you were okay" he said with those stupid eyes of his before pulling me into his arms and capturing my lips with his. I immediately melted into his arms, my whole body getting hot from his hands on my body, and we really couldn't do this with my grams in the next room so I quickly pulled away just as his hand moved down to the hem of my shirt.  
  
"Stefan" I mumbled against his lips. "Stefan, we can't do this here" I said, finally prying his hands from my shirt.  
  
"You want me to run us to the boarding house?" He asked lifting his eyebrows suggestively. "No, now tell me what's wrong, Salvatore" I said fondly, I could always tell when something was wrong with him, not only because he was my best friend, but also because we were connected in a way I couldn't explain.  
  
He sighed as I pulled him towards the bed and we sat on the edge. I let him gather his thoughts before he finally looked at me with tears in his eyes. "I don't want to lose you, Bonnie, I don't think I could handle that" he said, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand. I leaned into his touch hoping that he knew that the same goes for me.   
  
We stayed there in comfortable silence for a long time with my head on his shoulder while he played with my curls.  
  
"I love you" I said almost inaudibly, but I knew he heard me. I could tell from the way his hand stilled in my hair and from the kiss that was placed there soon after.  
  
I rubbed my eyes to keep myself from crying as I stood in front of what looked like a candle shop, which was weird but this is where Ayanna's magic led me so here I am. I felt myself being drawn to this shop the moment I stepped foot in this town.   
  
When I opened the door the bell rang, announcing my arrival and an elderly woman stepped out from the back room. She was a small elderly woman who looked no more than a few years older than grams, it took me a minute, but I also noticed that she was blind when I took a cautious step closer.   
  
"Hello, um, my name is-"  
  
"Bonnie Bennett" she said with a warm smile as she walked around the counter, taking a step closer to me. "I've been waiting years to see you".  
  
"How do you know me?" I asked confused as she reached up and touched my face. Her hand was soft and warm against my face, making me feel at home. "Because of your magic, child. It's good to see it where it belongs".  
  
"I'm sorry, but I think there might be some kind of misunderstanding".  
  
"No misunderstanding, child. I know exactly what I'm talking about" she said and removed her hand. "You don't believe, but that's alright. You will".  
  
"How could you possibly know that?" I asked, which she found funny because she started laughing in my face.   
  
"Because I've seen it".


	27. Heart and Mind

**Salvatore Boarding House**  
_Stefan's POV_  
  
_I'll remember for the both of us._   
  
I looked down at the words I wrote down in my journal. Elena said them to me three days ago and for some reason, I couldn't get them out of my head. They mean something, I know they do, otherwise why stick with me the way they have, suffocating me and pleading with me to remember.  
  
At first, I thought Elena might have said them to me before, but somehow I knew it wasn't her. She suggested that I stop trying so hard, but how could I when everything around me was just a reminder of what I couldn't remember. When it feels like I've lost an organ that I need to survive, and without it my days are numbered and soon I won't be able to survive.  
  
I couldn't stay in this house any longer. I could slowly feel the four walls closing in around me and if I didn't get out right now I would lose my mind. I vaguely heard Damon call out after me as I headed for the door and threw back a careless "out" before I slammed the door behind me.   
  
I had no idea where I was going all I knew was I couldn't stay in that house, so I just ran.

* * *

 

**Gilbert Residence**  
_Elena's POV_  
  
_This is Stefan, I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Just leave a message and I'll get back to you._  
  
I clicked the end button. His phone has been going to voicemail all morning and it was almost 14:00 and I still haven't heard from him. I tried not to think the worst, the past three days have been bliss and even though we still haven't kissed since Stefan wants to take it slow, he has still been an absolute gentleman and has been really attentive.   
  
I tossed my phone on the bed, giving up, maybe he was busy doing something stupid with Damon or maybe he just needed some time to himself, which he was allowed to have considering how hard it must be to not remember important parts of your life.   
  
"Really, Elena?!" I jumped a bit at the sound of Caroline's voice as she barged into my room.   
  
"It's called knocking, Caroline" I said already bored with this conversation because I already knew what she was going to say.   
  
"I'm not in the mood for your B.S, Elena, How could you do that?!" She asked walking further into the room until she was right in front of me. Stefan probably told her what happened and even though I asked him to keep it between us, for now, I knew he didn't know any better.  
  
"Stefan told you then".  
  
"I had to pry it out of him. Elena, what are you doing? You know Stefan loves Bonnie" she said and that made me flinch because that was a fact I was planning to change.   
  
"He doesn't remember her, Caroline, and you know how I feel about Stefan, you were there you saw it" I said getting just as upset, "and then Bonnie took him away from me! Did you have this conversation with her?!"  
  
"You dumped him, Elena, because you judged him for what he was! And you knew how they felt about each other before you even started dating him so don't even stand there and play the victim card" Caroline yelled clapping her hands together for emphasis. "And Bonnie stepped back, you know she did! For you, because she loves you!"  
  
"If she really loved me then she would've left him alone-"  
  
"No, Elena" she said deflating a bit "If you loved her then you never would've dated him because he was always hers, and you told her to follow her heart, you told her you would be okay and now you're blaming her for believing you?! Take responsibility for your own actions for once in your life" she said already walking towards the door. She's never spoken to me like that before and as I watched her walk away from me all I could feel was the betrayal.  
  
"You can't tell him without mentioning Bonnie" I said a little worried that she might be headed to go spill her guts to him. "I know, but Stefan's a smart guy, he'll see right through you" she said with a shake of her head before she was out the door.  
  
Caroline has been my best friend since we were kids and for her to say all that stuff to me after everything we've been through hurt a lot. It was clear I was on my own and if she thought I was going to back down, she was sadly mistaken.   
  
I grabbed my phone as I sat on the bed and tried to call Stefan again.   
  
_This is Stefan, I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Just leave a message and I'll get back to you._  
  
"Where are you, Stefan?"

* * *

 

**Grams' Residence**  
_Stefan's POV_  
  
I stood outside a house I don't remember ever seeing before, but yet it looked familiar and it felt like home.  
  
I'm not sure how I ended up here, it was like my feet knew something my mind didn’t. I stood there for what felt like forever deciding if I should actually go and knock on the door.   
  
I finally decided to pull the band-aid off when the pull became too strong. It took a moment, but next thing I knew the door was being opened by an old petite black woman. _Hey Salvatore_.  
  
The words were so fleeting that I doubted if I even heard them. It was like a whisper in the wind, quiet yet it warmed me up to my very soul.  
  
"May I help you?" The elderly woman asked with a confused look in her eyes, probably wondering what an insane looking teenager was doing at her doorstep.  
  
Her words snapped me out of my thoughts and I really looked at her. She looked familiar like I've seen her in a dream or a memory I couldn't reach. I have no idea what she must've seen in my eyes, but she grabbed a hold of my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry for bothering you, it’s just..."  
  
"Just what, baby?" She asked in that motherly tone that could get anyone to spill their guts to her.  
  
"I don't know, I feel like I'm losing my mind" I said running my hand through my hair in frustration. "I don't even know why I'm here, but I feel like this is exactly where I should be" I said as I started pacing, my feet unable to stay still anymore. "I'm not even making any sense". When she didn't say anything and just stood there looking at me I decided that I've wasted enough of her time. "I'm sorry for bothering you, I'm going to go now".  
  
"Would you like to come in?" She asked before I could run off and I shook my head no. I didn't want her to unknowingly invite a vampire into her home.   
  
"No thanks, you don't want me in your home".  
  
"I know exactly what you are. Now I'm going to ask you again and your answer had better not be no" she said fiercely, and I was taken aback by her commanding tone. I had no idea how she knew what I was, but I wasn't about to question her now, not when she was throwing me a lifeline so I nodded instead and let her lead me inside.

* * *

 

**Salem**  
_Bonnie's POV_ _  
_  
_"Universa Ruina In Tenebras Ra Damis Infinitum. De Lon Dem Ex Nahal da Six".  
_  
I opened my eyes and looked at the talisman in my hand still in one piece and groaned in frustration. "What am I doing wrong?" I asked Miss Amelia who has been sitting in the same chair for the past two hours crocheting while I've spent the last two hours trying to do a simple disenchantment spell, emphasis on the trying part because it just wasn't happening no matter how hard I tried.   
  
"I mean, what is it? Am I in my own head too much?"   
  
"Your head isn't the problem, Bonnie" she said without looking up from her handy work. I stopped asking a day ago how she could do everything on her own when she couldn't even see after she told me that her eyes kept her from seeing clearly. I still don't understand what she meant, but it shut me up.   
  
"It's your heart, it's in distress" she said and I sighed because I didn't understand what she was talking about.   
  
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "I mean, you feel everything so strongly: Love, joy, pain, sorrow...guilt" she said finally looking up at me. "You nurture your emotions and that keeps you from accessing your magic".  
  
"And how do I stop it?"  
  
"You don't" she said getting up from her chair and walked towards me, her crocheting all but forgetting. "You use it to your advantage, love and joy fuel your magic just as much as sorrow and guilt dampen it, if not more". She grabbed a hold of my hands then, holding on for dear life. "Stop running child, stop trying to control everything. Don't let what you see control what you do, or who you become. What you see is only one possible outcome, but you, Bonnie, you have the power to change it".  
  
I kept my eyes glued to the floor the entire time in fear of her seeing my deepest darkest fears. "The anchor doesn't only keep you grounded, he inspires the very best out of you because he has been created, just for you". I looked up then with tears brimming my eyes as I remembered what Lucy said, what grams said, as I remembered Stefan and let him consume my mind. I missed him more than I could express, more than I thought anyone could ever miss another person.  
  
"What you're feeling right now, hold onto it" she said and lifting the hand that was still holding onto the talisman. I looked down at my hand and then back at her and she nodded for me to try again.  
  
I closed my eyes then and concentrated on Stefan, his eyes, his smile, his laugh, his warmth. _"Universa Ruina In Tenebras Ra Damis Infinitum. De Lon Dem Ex Nahal da Six"_. I opened my eyes in time to see the talisman shatter in my hands.  
  
I looked up at Miss Amelia in surprise and saw the broad smile on her face as she nodded approvingly. "Now this I can work with".

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**  
_General POV_  
  
Damon called the Scooby gang together. After a week and a half of trying to keep Stefan from knowing the truth he finally realized something. Klaus was quiet, too quiet ever since he let Alaric go with a message: He was coming to get his doppelganger the night of the full moon. That was in a week, they literally had a week to figure out how to kill Klaus before he turned their world into a slaughterhouse.  
  
Without Bonnie, he didn't know what they were going to do. It was time for her little vacation to come to an end. "Where's Stefan?" Elena asked as she walked into the parlor.  
  
"Sheila called, he showed up over there dazed and confused so she let him stay for a while".  
  
"Damon, we can't let that happen, what if he starts to remember?" Elena asked, frantically looking around the room and caught Caroline looking at her in disbelief.  
  
"That's not my priority right now, Sheila said he didn't look so good so if this helps then I'm all for it".  
  
"But-"  
  
"What's going on, why did you call us here?" Caroline asked cutting her off. She wasn't about to let this become an argument over Stefan's memory, especially since she knew exactly what Elena's intentions were. "You need to get a hold of Bonnie, the full moon is in a week so she needs to bring her tiny little witch behind back here" he said a little frustrated because she was avoiding his calls. He earned a smack on the chest from Lucy, who was standing beside him by the fireplace.  
  
"Bonnie knows when the full moon is, she'll make it. What we need to do is come up with a plan on how we're going to help her" Lucy said and everyone slowly nodded, well everyone except Elena.  
  
She's been waiting for too long for her chance to have Stefan back and she wasn't about to let him go without a fight.


	28. Fight for Your Future

**Salem**  
_Bonnie's POV_  
  
"I wrote the prophecy shortly after Ayanna died. I knew what was going to happen to her, I'd seen it already so I wrote the prophecy to guide the witches of your line. I also knew the magic would find Stefan first, but I write a lot about him because of the danger he’d be in and also because he wouldn't survive without you, just like you can't survive without him".  
  
"I just want him to be safe" I said softly, listening to Miss Amelia was saying. "Then keep him safe, because the danger will always be there whether he knows you or not".  
  
She grabbed my hands forcing me to look up at her. "You are a seer, Bonnie. Close your eyes and let yourself see" she said and I looked at her for a moment before finally doing what I was told.  
  
Nothing happened for a moment, and I regretted letting her fill my head with false hope, I regretted-  
  
_"How do I know you?"_  
  
"Caterpillar in the tree, how I wonder who you'll be".  
  
"You never had to fight for yourself and I guess that was our fault, but I need you to fight now, Cam".  
  
My eyes burst open then and I looked at her in utter shock and confusion. "What was that?"  
  
"That was your future, Bonnie".  
  
"But, how is that- how is that even possible?" I asked a little frantic and completely freaked out by what I saw, and she chuckled, how could she even chuckle at a time like this?! "Anything is possible where spirits are involved".  
  
"But vampires can't procreate" I whispered quietly, still thinking about what I saw. The visions flashed by pretty quickly, but there was no denying what I saw.  
  
"Then tell me something, when was your last period?"  
  
"It was-" I started and then cut myself off as I thought about it. When was my last period? I didn't know and that realization alone let me know that I couldn't stay here any longer.

* * *

**Grams Residence**

**_Stefan's POV_**

"You're early today" I heard Sheila say from the kitchen as I walked in. She's been letting me hang out with her whenever I could, which was really nice of her considering she didn't even know me. She let me offload on her and she trusted me enough to tell me she's a witch, which got me thinking that maybe it was the magic in the house that drew me in and made me feel at home so I've been holding onto that feeling.   


I've only known her for two days, but it feels like I've always known her like she's always been here for me. "I skipped school" I said as I walked into the kitchen and she gave me an unimpressed look. "I know that I was merely making an observation. Now, why did you skip school?"  
  
"I feel out of place there, exposed, but here I feel whole so it was a no-brainer" I smirked and she shook her head.   
  
"Well since you're here you're going to help me make this Italian dish" she said passing me the recipe book.  
  
_"Devi solo sfruttare le tue radici italiane, Salvatore”._ I pulled back my hand as if it shocked me. The words came out of nowhere. It's been happening a lot since I've met Sheila, like they were words from a conversation I couldn't remember having and like all those other times, they came in a whisper.  
  
"Are you okay, child?" Sheila asked with a concerned look on her face and I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine" I said and grabbed the book again and started to page through it.  
  
"But you are wondering about something, aren't you?" She asked and I looked up to see her questioning eyes. I wasn't sure if this was the witch thing or something else, but it was kinda scary how she could just read me like that. "Do you know how to speak Italian, Sheila?" and if I wasn't a vampire then I would've missed it. The quick look of panic that flashed in her eyes before she looked away.   
  
"No, I've never been good at learning new languages" she said when she looked at me and somehow I knew she was lying, just like everyone else. We stood there in silence for a moment as I took her in. She really did look familiar, like a face in a dream you try to remember, but can't because the face is blurred in your mind.  
  
"You know me, don't you?" I finally asked, breaking the silence we were in and when she looked up again I could see the tears in her eyes, but she didn't say anything and I knew from the look in her eyes that she wasn't going to either.  
  
I nodded my head then, accepting her unspoken apology and I could feel myself slowly losing my mind again. I had to get out of here, if for nothing else, then for my sanity.   
  
I was about to walk out the door when I heard her speak up behind me. "Remember, Stefan" she said and when I turned back to look at her she was already gone.   
  
I stood there for a while, just holding onto the door handle and reminding myself to breathe as the words came to me again.  
  
_I'll remember for the both of us._

* * *

 

**Salem**

**_Bonnie's POV_ **

I had to go back, the full moon was in a few days and everyone I knew, everyone I loved, was in danger and after what I saw I knew I had to go back for more than just to stop Klaus. I watched Miss Amelia crochet in her chair as I stood there with my bags in my hand. She's drilled quite a lot into my head this past week and as much as I hated every minute of it, I had to hear it.

 

There was more to her than just an old blind witch, she was really powerful and she helped me control my magic better and use my other gift to my advantage.

 

She looked up when she heard me walk further into the room and I gave her a warm smile. "I have to go".

 

"I know". And did I mention she was a smart ass, cause she was. She got up, walked up to me and placed her hands on both sides of my face. "Miss Bonnie Bennett" she said cradling my face in her hands. "You have the worst judgment I've ever seen, but you feel everything so strongly which empowers you and that's why Ayanna's magic chose you. It sees in you what you are yet to see in yourself".

 

"I'm gonna miss you, Miss Amelia" I said holding back the tears that threatened to fall. She kissed my cheek then before lowering her hand and placing it on my stomach. "You take care of those babies" she said and a tear finally escaped, rolling down my cheek. She finally released me then and I took a deep breath as I gripped my bags tighter.

 

"Now you go kill that pesky Hybrid" she said and I nodded in determination. I couldn't run anymore and I didn't want to.


	29. Back to the Start

**Forbes Residence**

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I looked down at the box in my hands as I waited for Caroline to come home from school. I got here about an hour ago and the sheriff let me in when she was heading back to the station. She seemed in a hurry and only told me to make myself at home as she headed out the door. I was a little more than freaked out about coming back here and as much as every bone in my body told me to run, I knew that wasn’t an option and I was at peace with that, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t absolutely terrified to see Stefan again. The version of him that didn’t know who I was and what we were to each other.

The sound of the door opening and closing broke me from my thoughts and I got up from the bed. “Mom!” I heard Caroline’s voice call out as she walked through the house and towards her room. She was probably wondering why the door was unlocked. “Mom, are you he-” she cut herself off when she walked into her room and found me standing there. “Bonnie?” she breathed and I gave her a warm smile. “Hey Care” I whispered and that seemed to snap her out of her surprised state and she rushed towards me and gave me a warm hug which I melted into. Seeing her seemed to alleviate some of the fear and anxiety I was feeling, my best friend, I didn’t know how much I missed her until this very moment and I squeezed her tighter.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were back?” She protested as she pulled away and smacked my arm. “Ouch, I wanted to surprise you” I said rubbing my arm even though it didn’t really hurt and she pulled me in for another hug, “Don’t you ever do that again, Bonnie Bennett”.

“I don’t plan to” I said with a chuckle on her shoulder and pulled away again. “So what’s been going on?” I asked as I pulled away again and she looked away, avoiding eye contact. “Caroline? Damon hasn’t been giving you a hard time has he?”

“No, Lucy’s been handling him mostly” she said, but she still wouldn’t look at me. “And how’s Stefan?” I asked trying to get her to look at me.

“Physically he’s fine, but mentally…he’s not okay, Bonnie” she said quietly and the guilt settled in my gut again. “He’s…lost and confused and he can’t figure out why”.

“I’m sorry I made you promise not to tell him, it was wrong of me and I never should’ve done it”.

“I don’t blame you, Bon, I saw you when he got hurt and I understand why you did it” she said looking me dead in the eye this time and as comforting as it was to know that she didn’t blame me. I still felt really guilty. “And Elena has been capitalizing on his memory loss” she said and honestly I wasn’t surprised. “You don’t seem surprised”.

“I’m not, when we got kidnapped she told me that she was in love with him and that she couldn’t let him go” I said and she scoffed, “Of course she did, and now Stefan thinks that they were dating when Klaus stabbed him” she said sounding a little passionate, but I didn’t blame Elena. She was just following her heart, I didn’t approve of how she was doing it, but I couldn’t fault her completely and if Stefan wanted to be with her I would have to live with that because it was my choices that got me here. He had to know everything though, he deserved that at least.

“I have to tell you something” I said looking down and I didn’t know I was shaking until she held onto my hands, steadying them. “I uh-“ I started, but couldn’t form the words so I let go of her hands and leaned over my bag in order to take out the box I put in there when I heard her come in. Her eyes widened when she saw me holding it with shaky hands, “I bought it when I got here, but I haven’t had the courage to take it by myself” I said and she nodded in understanding as I saw the fear I’ve been feeling all day reflected in her eyes. “I’m here for you” she whispered and I nodded in gratitude and went into the bathroom.

We sat on her bed for what felt like an eternity holding each other’s hands as we waited. Neither of us said anything which I appreciated because I really didn’t want to say anything right now and Caroline understood that so she just held onto my hand. I almost didn’t hear the alarm go off on my phone indicating that three minutes were up and I still couldn’t bring myself to look down at the stick in my hand because it was terrifying to think that my future rested on what one small little stick said. I felt Caroline let go of my hand and wrapped her arms around me, laying her head on my shoulder. I took a deep breath then, lifted my hand to see what it said and even though I already knew that it was true I still felt like the wind was knocked out of me as I looked at the two lines. “I’m pregnant” I breathed and Caroline squeezed me even tighter, letting me cry on her shoulder.

* * *

 

**Salvatore Boarding House**

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I tossed my bag onto the bed the moment I stepped into my room and closed the door. I just wanted to be alone, and it took a lot of convincing to get Elena to go home instead of back here with me, but she said she’d come by later and honestly I didn’t expect anything less. I could tell she was freaked out by something and as much as I wanted her to be open with me about it I knew she wasn’t going to tell me if she didn’t want to so I’d let it go because I wasn’t being honest with her either. I didn’t tell her that our relationship felt off to me somehow, I didn’t tell her that I was still obsessed with trying to get my memory back even though she told me to let it go. I didn’t tell her because I didn’t want to hurt her. None of it mattered anyway because no matter how hard I tried I kept hitting a brick wall.

I snapped out of my thoughts and tuned in my hearing when I heard a knock on the door. _“Witchy, I’m glad to see you finally decided to grace us with your presence”._

_“Don’t be petty, Damon, it’s not cute”._

_I’ll remember for the both of us_

I knew that voice, I don’t know how or where, but I did and I felt like it was calling out to me. It was like my feet knew what to do before my brain did as I walked out of my room and towards the sound of her voice. “Are you back?” I heard Damon ask as I walked down the stairs and saw her nod her head. “I want to see him” she said and Damon opened the door wider to let her in and I almost didn’t notice Caroline as I watched her walk through the door. She stopped in her tracks when she finally noticed me standing on the stairs looking at her and I heard her breath catch in her throat and her heartbeat accelerate and I’m pretty sure that if I had a heartbeat I would have had the exact same reaction. I had no idea who she was, but for the first time in two weeks, I finally felt like I was breathing.

Her smile seemed to light up the whole room as she looked up at me while my feet seemed to gravitate towards her. I noticed she had tears in her eyes, which she quickly blinked away and extended her hand for me to take. “Hey Salvatore” she breathed as I took a hold of her hand and I remembered hearing those words in my head when I first met Sheila. They were her words.

I looked up to see Caroline and Damon watching us intently while Caroline also seemed to be holding back tears and I turned back to look at the familiar girl standing in front of me.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Bonnie”.

“Bonnie” I said testing her name on my lips and I liked the way it sounded, like I’ve always said it and that seemed to broaden her smile, which was contagious and seemed to brighten up the room. “And how do you know me, Bonnie?”

“We’re, uh, we’re best friends” she said hesitantly, but I didn’t comment on it, I didn’t want to scare her away. I was going to say something else when the rest of the Scooby gang walked through the door. I don’t know what she must’ve seen in my eyes, but she squeezed my hand and told me she’d explain everything later and then she let go of my hand, leaving me with nothing but the memory of her hand in mine.

Elena walked in with the rest and walked right up to me, giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek which made me feel awkward as I looked over her shoulder at Bonnie, who quickly looked away and focused on greeting everyone. Elena finally let go and turned to look at Bonnie as if she didn’t just breeze past her like she wasn’t even there, “Hey, Bonnie. I didn’t know you were back” she said with enthusiasm I wasn’t sure was genuine.

“Yeah I just got in” She said before stealing a glance at me. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” Damon said with a smirk as he led a woman who looked kind of like Bonnie into the parlour, along with everyone else.

* * *

 

**_Bonnie’s POV_ **

I could feel his eyes on me as we talked about how we were going to stop Klaus. I caught him up with as much as could without overwhelming him, leaving some stuff out, but I swear it felt like he knew my secret. Elena was sitting right next to him, making a show of playing with his hands and whispering stuff in his ear which was really desperate if you ask me, but my opinion doesn’t really matter because I’m in this mess because of my own choices and if I wanted things back the way they were I had to tell Stefan everything and hope he doesn’t hate me for it. The thought alone made my stomach turn, I couldn’t live in a world where Stefan Salvatore hated me.

“So how are we going to handle this?” Damon was asking and I turned my attention to him and Lucy. They were sitting tangled up on the couch in such a way that it was hard to tell where she ended and he began. I wasn’t that surprised to see that their relationship had taken this turn with the amount of time they’ve been spending together and they looked pretty cute together, Damon even looked less murderous than usual and that was always a good thing.

 

“I learnt a few things when I was in Salem, things that will help us protect Elena while I take care of Klaus. I’ve also added a precaution so that, God forbid, if he does manage to use her as a human sacrifice she will still come back”.

 

“As a human?” Elena spoke up for the first time, pulling her head from Stefan’s ass long enough to make that comment. That was a petty thought, but it was out there now so…

“Yes” I said without looking at them because really I didn’t want my suspicions confirmed.

“How are you going to do that?” Lucy asked a little concerned, but she knew what I’d have to do to get that right. There’s no record of witches being about to perform the spell successfully, but I was different, right? That’s why Ayanna’s magic chose me? I couldn’t just let her die if there was a way to stop it and I wasn’t going to.

“With a revival spell”.

“Bonnie no” she said getting up from Damon’s lap and everyone seemed to read the alarm in her voice because they all looked at me in worry wondering what I wasn’t telling them. “It’s too dangerous, what are you thinking?!”

“What is she talking about, Bonnie?” Caroline asked with a stern look in her eyes that seemed to say ‘It’s not just you anymore so you can’t be pulling this sacrificial shit’ and I knew exactly what she meant, she meant I had two more lives to think about and I couldn’t just put their lives at risk like that, and I wouldn’t. Miss Amelia told me that I had a connection to the spirits, and not just Ayanna, though my connection with her was the strongest because of our magic, but if I really wanted to then I could talk to anyone on what she called ‘the other side’. Apparently, that’s where I was that first time I talked to Ayanna when we did the séance and if I focused and practiced I could do it again, but I needed Stefan to bring me back like he did the first time.

“Witches used to use the revival spell to bring loved ones back from the other side, a plain where supernaturals go when they die”.

“But I’m not a supernatural” Elena said, sounding a little concerned as if she was the one who was about to risk her life in the hopes of having her boyfriend, who didn’t remember her, bring her back from a supernatural plain where witches were known to get stuck. “Not in the traditional sense, but doppelgangers were created by my vindictive ancestor, Qetsiyah, over 2000 years ago, but that’s a story from another day. My point is, you were created from magic so you’re supernatural. It’s a grey area”.

“But they stopped because the risks were too high” Lucy added on. “Witches got stuck on the other side because they weren’t powerful enough to bring themselves back, let alone whoever they were trying to bring back from the dead”.

“Then it’s off the table, we’re not risking it” Damon, of all people, said as he stood up to stand next to Lucy and she squeezed his hand in gratitude for the support. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by his words, Damon and I have come a long way since we first met and I actually believed that he cared about me.

“Listen, I get you guys are worried, but there’s no reason to be. I know I can do this, I’m empowered, and I won’t need to use my magic to bring myself back, I just need my anchor”. That got their attention and I quickly stole a glance at Stefan who was unnaturally quiet this entire time and all I wanted to do was climb into that brain of his and see what he was thinking. He was still looking at me, just like I thought, but he seemed troubled.

“I hate to break it to you, but the anchor is a little indisposed right now” Alaric said from where he stood by the fireplace, and he’s also been quiet that I actually forgot he was in the room. It was good to see him back to his old self again. What Klaus did to him was downright diabolical, but what did that say about me after what I did to Stefan?

“I can reach him, I know I can. I just need some time” I said determined, really believing it. I know that the Stefan I know and love is in there trying to break free, I just needed to help him along.

“Isn’t that a little selfish?” Elena asked innocently, and I use that term loosely, but I could hear the undertone of fear in her voice because she knew exactly what would happen when Stefan remembered, her little fantasy of them being together would come crumbling down. “How is that selfish, Elena?”

“He’s not an object you can use whenever you choose and for you to do this just to push your own agenda is selfish”. This bitch. Damon must’ve sensed my anger because I felt his hand wrap around my arm just as I was about to go pull Elena’s hair out.

“What I did was wrong and I never should’ve tried to play God like that so I want to make it right, but who are we trying to save here, Elena? Huh? Because if you think you can do it yourself then please by all means…” She didn’t say anything, but I could see the hatred in her eyes and it finally sank in, I’d lost her. Was she right though? Did I just want Stefan to have his memory back because of what it could do for me, was it ever about him? I didn’t know anymore and the thought made me sick.

I was running out the door before anyone could stop me and I made it as far as the porch before I emptied the contents of my stomach inside one of the shrubs.

* * *

 

**_Stefan’s POV_ **

I watched her run out of the parlor and raced after her without even thinking about it, like it was second nature, which it probably was and I just couldn’t remember. This entire meeting was a mess and it left me really confused, well not confused exactly, but I couldn’t think off a better word right then. This is what I knew for sure; There was an evil hybrid trying to break a curse by using Elena as a human sacrifice and Bonnie was destined to stop him because of powers she inherited from her ancestor, Ayanna. They lost me when they started talking about an Anchor, though, I didn’t know what that was, but I did know that if it was what would keep Bonnie from being stuck on the other side then we needed to get it because we couldn’t let her die.

When Lucy said witches could get stuck on the other side my protective instincts kicked in, I don’t know how to explain it, but every bone in my body wanted to pick her up and run her as far away from here as possible. Everything about her called out to me and I actually had to physically restrain myself from doing something stupid, but when I ran out I just couldn’t stop myself so here I was watching her hunch over one of the shrubs and throw up. I quickly sped towards her and held her hair back as she heaved out the contents of her stomach.

“Thanks” she whispered as she stood up straight, turning to me and I offered her a warm smile which she returned shyly before placing a hand over her mouth “That was so embarrassing” she muffled through her hand and I laughed at how cute she looked. “I don’t think so” I said lowering her hand and I felt that warmth again, the same one I felt the first time our hands touched so I didn’t let go.

“Sorry about the plant” she said.

“We were going to get rid of it anyway” I said and her smile broadened, lighting up my world even more if that was even possible. She looked so gorgeous, her Caramel skin glowed in the sun, making her look angelic. “So that meeting was a bust” she said awkwardly shuffling her feet under my gaze, but she didn’t let go of my head and I thought that maybe she needed this just as much as I did.

“I couldn’t follow a lot of what was going on, if anything it left me with a lot of questions”. That comment seemed to break her because her heart rate accelerated and she refused to look at me. When she wouldn’t look at me I thought maybe I crossed a line I wasn’t aware of and that she’d run, but instead she took a deep breath and cleared her throat “Yeah, I think you deserve to have your questions answered” she said with a nod, and I wasn’t sure if she was nodding at me or if she was making a decision in her head, but it didn’t matter because she pulled me towards her and we drove off, leaving the boarding house and everyone inside behind.

* * *

 

**Mystic Falls Cemetery**

I walked behind her as she led me through the cemetery and as much as I enjoyed being alone with her, the cemetery was the last place I thought she’d take me. We’ve been walking for a good five minutes and she hasn’t said a single word to me since we left the car and somehow I knew she didn’t need me to speak right now because whatever she was going to show me, whoever she was going to show me meant a lot to her.

She finally stopped walking and stood in front of a gravestone which read:

_Abigail Marie Bennett_

_Loving mother, devoted wife, and loyal friend._

_Years may pass, tears may dry but the memories we lived together will always be with us._

_You will be missed by your daughter most of all. Rest in peace._

“Hey mom” she whispered as she kissed her hand and placed it on the gravestone. Her breathing was ragged, but she didn’t cry. She turned to me instead and I put my hands in my pocket to keep them from reaching for her. “This is where we first met, a bit morbid, I know, but my mom had just died and you came to pay your respects. I was three years old at the time” she said with a sad smile.

“How did I know her?”

“You’re the protector of our line. You made a promise to Emily years ago that you would protect us after she saved you from Katherine” she said and I tried to think back, but I couldn’t remember Emily, only Katherine.

“I don’t remember her”.

“That’s my fault” she said looking at the ground for a moment before she lifted her head again with tears in her eyes this time. “About three weeks ago, you got hurt, really badly” she breathed the last part as if she was reliving it all over again and my hand unconsciously went up to my chest, to where my wound used to be. Her eyes followed my hand and rested hers over mine on the same spot. “And you weren’t healing, you weren’t healing and I thought I was going to lose you. Every part of me ached and the longer you stayed unconscious, the more I felt myself losing my mind and my magic wasn’t working, or at least that’s what I thought” she said looking down mournfully. “It wasn’t until hours later when we realized you weren’t getting worse that we knew that my spell was working, healing you, but I was too far gone”.

“What do you mean?” I asked, listening to what she was saying. No one has told me anything about my accident, well except Damon’s stupid lie which I saw right through.

“You were never supposed to get hurt for me, Stefan” she said and then it clicked. It was her, my memory loss, the painful two weeks I went through, it was all her and everyone promised to keep her secret, to keep me in the dark like I wasn’t capable of making my own decisions. I felt like I was being stabbed all over again and I couldn’t breathe. “It was you?” I choked out and she was crying now. I pulled away from her touch and that seemed to hurt her more than anything I could’ve ever said to her.  I had to leave, I had to leave before I couldn’t so I ran and barely heard her call out my name.


End file.
